Americans upgrade engagement rings

[pyramid]

I was watching QVC in the UK this morning and the presenter said

"Do you know that Americans keep upgrading their engagement rings by trading in their original ring and upgrading a few times until they have a large diamond. I wonder if they stay together for love and romance or is it just that 'if I stay another few years I will get a 5 carat diamond' (said in a joking jovial tone)." She then went on to say "I like to think that we in the UK are a little bit more sentimental".

Just reporting what I heard today.

 

[Nicrez]

Could be our Super Size mentality....even if we want or need it, we always want the BIGGER thing...

 

[valeria101]

...err... this does make Brits more reasonable, for their own good

The e-ring addvertising must have been orders of magnitude less prominent in the UK

 

[sevens one]

Oh, Bloody ell'. I dropped me bloomin' beads!!

They're just jealous. God save the Queen. (have you seen the royal jewels?)

nan

 

[valeria101]

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On 5/5/2004 10:28:29 PM sevens one wrote:



Oh, Bloody ell'. [...] (have you seen the royal jewels

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Wasn't the latest Royal e-ring used on every darn add for SAPPHIRE

 

[pyramid]

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On 5/5/2004 10:28:29 PM sevens one wrote:

Oh, Bloody ell'. I dropped me bloomin' beads!!

The last royal engagement ring was a 2 carat centre diamond with a heart shaped diamond on each side from Asprey Garrard. That was Sophie (Countess of Wessex) who married Prince Edward the youngest son. The ring was reported in newspapers as costing forty thousand pounds (about 80 thousand dollars).

Fergie got a large oval Ruby surrounded by pear shaped diamonds. Prince Andrew designed the ring himself.

The late Diana had a large oval, I think it was something like 15 carat sapphire, surrounded by 12 diamonds. The sapphire was picked out by Prince Charles and I think it was Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace after a case was delivered with a load of sapphires.

The queens engagement ring is a diamond cluster, large stones, sort of like a flower.

The late queen mother always wore a large pearl surrounded by diamonds on her engagement ring finger.


Watched a tv programme last night called 'The Royal Millions' they said although the queen had a lot of jewels in her private collection, the crown jewels actually does not belong to her but to the nation and she is just the keeper. The palaces do not belong to her but the nation also. She does have as does Prince Charles a lot of land in England which she gets money for and her horses. stamp collection, private jewellery collection, paintings and investments. There was no official figures but the programme worked out that her personal wealth was 902 million pounds, so you can double that in American dollars at the moment.

In her private collection she has the Williamson diamond which is a very large pink diamond and they looked at a large pink diamond a Boodle and Dunthorne - the one she has was much more pink and far, far bigger. They also went onto say that they do not know how large her private jewellery collection is, so the figures they were giving for wealth were like minimum. They were not allowed to show pictures of some of the diamonds but showed here wearing the Williamson diamond in a brooch on film footage. Ofcourse with the Queens jewels as well they said there was the matter of provenance.

 

[prose]

As a Brit living in NY, I can safely say that e-ring marketing is virtually non-existent in Britain. There certainly isn't the pressure to buy a 2-carat ring, that's for sure.

Flash cars and designer clothes seem to do it for the moneyed London crowd, and I know many people who earned huge salaries whose engagement rings were tiny, or contained a stone other than a diamond (usually an emerald).

 

[prose]

I forgot to add that huge numbers of people in England buy houses and commit to long-term co-habiting before even thinking of getting engaged (if at all).

 

[CaptAubrey]

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On 5/6/2004 7:42:12 AM pyramid wrote:

In her private collection she has the Williamson diamond which is a very large pink diamond and they looked at a large pink diamond a Boodle and Dunthorne - the one she has was much more pink and far, far bigger.

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the "williamson pink," as it's known, is a 23.60 ct round brilliant. it is mounted in a floral brooch and was given to her as a wedding present by john williamson, the then-owner of the williamson mine in tanzania. i don't know if it's been formally graded, but one description i read called it "deep pink in color."

 

[sumi]

I never heard of upgrading e-rings until after I found p-scope. Then again, I don't have many married friends. Even so, outside of p-scope I just don't hear too much talk of upgrades.

I don't think I could ever upgrade. I'm too in love with my current stone. If I feel the need for some more diamonds, I'd rather just get earrings or a pendant or something.

 

[valeria101]

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On 5/6/2004 2:16:40 PM sumi wrote:



I never heard of upgrading e-rings until after I found p-scope.
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Ditto

PS is a small DIAMOND ISLAND...

 

[limey]

I'm an Ex-pat Brit in Michigan and just went thru upgrading my wife's ring (kept the old stones however), anyway there is only one other e-ring upgrade I know about and that was my Mum so upgrades in the UK are not unheard of...

 

[Roz]

Jealous? No I don''t think so, what''s there to be jealous of? There''s equal affluence and availability of large diamonds here, but they don''t sell so well.

I think the point is that a lot of people in the assume that a really large diamond is a fake and therefore instead of going for a large size, people seem to go for very white diamonds and flawless, VVS1-2 etc rather than getting a larger size. They sparkle so well that no one would question that they were diamonds That''s my experience anyway.

Besides our fingers in general are thinner so large diamonds just don''t look right

 

[Lorelei]

I am the only crazy Brit who is the upgrade Queen and diamond obsessed in my circle, my friends love to admire mine but would far rather have a new car. I agree with Mara I would far rather have an older car and a big diamond

However I do have a nice car but it isn''t new. Jewellery isn''t so much the thing here, but with the lack of choice of great diamonds and the price of them it isn''t surprising really.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 1/22/2006 11:18:05 AM
Author: Roz
Besides our fingers in general are thinner so large diamonds just don''t look right

Meow! What about diamond teeth covers ... that might work for ya

 

[blodthecat]

Lorelei, i know exactly what you mean, I am ''The only upgrade queen in the village''

I don''t show my ring off to friends, because they would think i was absolutely insane. If I had bought a fast expensive car, then that would make sense.

Most of my friends have no interest in jewellery, and to ''upgrade'' your original ering is extremely unusual, as most people have sentimental attachment.

I don''t have attachment in that sense. I have a very strong bond with my husband, and it doesn''t really matter what ring I am wearing.

Blod

 

[SeaOats]

Date: 1/22/2006 11:18:05 AM
Author: Roz

Besides our fingers in general are thinner so large diamonds just don''t look right

Wow, cheap shot.

I live in Connecticut in a county just overflowing with both old and new money, and I can tell you, no one I know talks about upgrading their diamonds. I think the bigger push is just to buy an original diamond that is the biggest and best that an individual person''s budget can afford. Most people I know barely even look at their e-ring and wedding band after wearing them for a little bit.

You have to remember, PS has a separate mentality than the rest of the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, etc. People are on this site because they hunted it out. People stay on this site because they love diamonds, they love to talk about diamonds, and they love to see pictures of diamonds. PS is not representative of the US or any other country''s views on diamonds.

 

[SeaOats]

Oh, and I should add, people here in the US have just the same obsessions about fast/expensive cars and houses. Believe me.

 

[ecf8503]

This is an interesting thread, but it is a bit old........ (2004!)

 

[blodthecat]

Come on Roz...that sounds like the green eyed monster talking.

We don't make unkind remarks to our friends on Pricescope.

And BTW there are some very big folk over here in the UK.

Blod

 

[SeaOats]

Date: 1/22/2006 12:51:52 PM
Author: ecf8503
This is an interesting thread, but it is a bit old........ (2004!)

LOL, I know, but that comment about "thin fingers" just irked me!

 

[Mara]

OMG Deco, I almost spit out my Kashi!

Like Lorelei said...I would much rather have a larger rock than a nicer car...but that's just my priority. I also don't supersize my McDonalds (I don't even go there!) or really have that same mentality in any other area of my life. But diamonds and rings? All bets are off! I just love the bling!! I don't care if people think it's fake or not, I know the truth and I know that what I have on my hand is probably better cut than 99% of diamonds out there, whether it is a D VVS or whatever, and that's the fun secret part, well besides the sparkle that is!

I think personally to each their own. I may not want to pay $700 a month for a car payment, but I don't mind spending on a diamond. Greg is practically begging me to get a new car.

Go figure!

 

[anchor31]

I''m from Québec, Canada, and I had never heard of upgrading before I found PS. The e-ring average is .25 ct, even for some wealthy people, and they don''t upgrade. After many years of marriage, one may get a .5 ct anniversary ring... That''s about it. People will put money on cars and houses, but not on jewellery. Some people will pay a lot of money to get big, flashy cars and it''s not considered superfluous. But if you have a ring bigger than .5 ct, that''s superfluous, even if the car will last about 10 years, and the ring will last a LOT longer. I don''t agree, but there you are. Less and less people get married anyway.

 

[moon river]

Date: 5/6/2004 4:47:14 PM
Author: valeria101

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On 5/6/2004 2:16:40 PM sumi wrote:





I never heard of upgrading e-rings until after I found p-scope.
----------------

Ditto

PS is a small DIAMOND ISLAND...

Welcome to our Island:

 

[researcher]

Date: 1/22/2006 12:45:00 PM
Author: Rascal49

Date: 1/22/2006 11:18:05 AM

Author: Roz


Besides our fingers in general are thinner so large diamonds just don''t look right

Wow, cheap shot.


I live in Connecticut in a county just overflowing with both old and new money, and I can tell you, no one I know talks about upgrading their diamonds. I think the bigger push is just to buy an original diamond that is the biggest and best that an individual person''s budget can afford. Most people I know barely even look at their e-ring and wedding band after wearing them for a little bit.


You have to remember, PS has a separate mentality than the rest of the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, etc. People are on this site because they hunted it out. People stay on this site because they love diamonds, they love to talk about diamonds, and they love to see pictures of diamonds. PS is not representative of the US or any other country''s views on diamonds.

I COMPLETELY agree with Rascal49. I wanted the perfect diamond (for me) from the start. I could care less if people I don''t know think it''s fake, because in my own circles my stone is small to average (IMO a tasteful size for my finger). Now, we could have spent more on the stone to get a better color/clarity, but for me there is a point where you''re spending too much on something that''s not essential. I feel this way about cars and clothes as well. While I like having a nice new car, my hubby and I tend to go for things that are nice but not extravagant. We do not go for labels, or things that are really flashy. We do like having new cars, but mainly because they don''t need repairs (unless you get in an accident). And there are times when we''ll buy classic designer clothes for work or black tie events, but we never buy trendy clothing that states the brand in big letters.

I guess my point is the same as many others--not everyone fits into a stereotype. Yes, I fit the stereotype of an American with a bigger than average diamond. But, my stone is really not that big, and the low setting helps it to be even more understated. But the point to my ramblings is that I find it rather rude that the UK QVC presenter would say Americans are not sentimental. Of my friends or friends of my parents that have upgraded their rings, all of them have kept their original stones--out of sentimentality. In fact, most of them still wear their original diamonds on a daily basis in a pendant, close to their heart.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/22/2006 12:57:36 PM
Author: Mara
OMG Deco, I almost spit out my Kashi!

I think personally to each their own. I may not want to pay $700 a month for a car payment, but I don't mind spending on a diamond. Greg is practically begging me to get a new car.

Go figure!

That is too funny Mara - you should here me grizzle and whine when one of the cars needs money spent on it but when it comes to diamonds...... NO PROBLEM

I grudge money needed for vehicles ( I know I am bad!) robbing MY DIAMOND FUND

 

[koko]

Never mind diamond upgrades, in some parts of the world, I understand having nice teeth is considered "bling."

 

[MINE!!]

 

[Madam Bijoux]

A new car will always depreciate. Not so with diamonds.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/23/2006 8:00:14 AM
Author: Madam Bijoux
A new car will always lose its value. Not so with diamonds.

I agree - a new car will lose it''s " newness" IMO quickly, diamonds with care and luck stay beautiful always. I tend to shoot for a good used car for this reason, my current car is 7 years old and I love it but don''t sweat the minor wear and tear as I would with a brand new one.