- Joined
- Jan 19, 2018
- Messages
- 140
Greetings to all, I hate to be that person who has never contributed to this website who is suddenly asking for favors. But I could really use some guidance. A friend of mine (dcun) referred me to this website. Just the past weekend, during a happy hour get together, he couldnt stop raving about how much helped he had received from here.
The predicament: I have a $10,000 budget for both the ring and the band. However, I have $5,000 secretly saved up. I met my significant other 5 years ago, it was not until a year and a half ago that I finally felt that I was ready and that she is the one. I earn just a bit over $50,000 a year in gross salary. I am not in debt and have terrific credit. My significant other and I, (lets call her Abby) have each been contributing $600 each month into a joint savings account for a few years now. With my salary, you can see that that is actually a huge chunk from my monthly net income. However, despite my not so great spending habits, I was able to save $5,000 secretly in a savings account. I am pretty adamant that I spend somewhere between the $8,000 - $10,000 range for the entire set.
With that said, I am in a bit of a unique situation here. I need to finance the remainder of the expense and would need to shop at a retailer that has a fair interest rate. I am forecasting that I will probably have to finance another $5,000 which would take me at least 6 months to pay off. Ideally I am hoping there is a retailer that allows a 6 month period interest fee finance.
I admit, it wasnt until last week that I decided I need to start my journey on ring shopping so my knowledge is not yet great. I have watched many youtube videos and read a few things such as the 4C's, however, the band or setting is something I am still trying to understand.
The Rock: I am set on a round cut diamond. No less than 1.4carats. I would like to have a color grade anywhere between G-D, a clarity rating from SI1 to IF, and of course nothing less than a "Good" cut. Opinions are welcome! So feel free to chime in. I know from the grape vine that Abbey prefers the "bling" over size. But my objective is to find the largest best-lowest bling I can find just enough to not be visible by the naked eye. Basically purchasing the biggest ring I can find with blemishes / or imperfections not noticeable to the naked eye.
The Band / Setting: I may be totally wrong with this, but to my understanding, the band is the actual ring that loops around the finger while the setting is what holds the diamond. If that is true, I do not think I have a preference on the setting, I am very open to suggestions on this. As for the band, I would like to have "mini diamonds" around the top portion of the band and the band itself has to be white gold. Not too much where it would dilute or remove the spotlight from the main diamond, but just enough to add finesse. I feel this is where I need help with most.
I've gone onto the JamesAllen website and customized a ring that I found to be very nice. It is attached into this file. Now that I am looking at it again, I feel the band may be a little too thick where it is giving the illusion of a smaller diamond. Abby is only 5'4 with a finger size of 4. At this point I am not sure if this is a good purchase. Again, I am here sharing all this because I am seeking suggestions, tips, and well, an answer to my fiancial situation. I would grately appreciate any help!
Thank you in advance!
The predicament: I have a $10,000 budget for both the ring and the band. However, I have $5,000 secretly saved up. I met my significant other 5 years ago, it was not until a year and a half ago that I finally felt that I was ready and that she is the one. I earn just a bit over $50,000 a year in gross salary. I am not in debt and have terrific credit. My significant other and I, (lets call her Abby) have each been contributing $600 each month into a joint savings account for a few years now. With my salary, you can see that that is actually a huge chunk from my monthly net income. However, despite my not so great spending habits, I was able to save $5,000 secretly in a savings account. I am pretty adamant that I spend somewhere between the $8,000 - $10,000 range for the entire set.
With that said, I am in a bit of a unique situation here. I need to finance the remainder of the expense and would need to shop at a retailer that has a fair interest rate. I am forecasting that I will probably have to finance another $5,000 which would take me at least 6 months to pay off. Ideally I am hoping there is a retailer that allows a 6 month period interest fee finance.
I admit, it wasnt until last week that I decided I need to start my journey on ring shopping so my knowledge is not yet great. I have watched many youtube videos and read a few things such as the 4C's, however, the band or setting is something I am still trying to understand.
The Rock: I am set on a round cut diamond. No less than 1.4carats. I would like to have a color grade anywhere between G-D, a clarity rating from SI1 to IF, and of course nothing less than a "Good" cut. Opinions are welcome! So feel free to chime in. I know from the grape vine that Abbey prefers the "bling" over size. But my objective is to find the largest best-lowest bling I can find just enough to not be visible by the naked eye. Basically purchasing the biggest ring I can find with blemishes / or imperfections not noticeable to the naked eye.
The Band / Setting: I may be totally wrong with this, but to my understanding, the band is the actual ring that loops around the finger while the setting is what holds the diamond. If that is true, I do not think I have a preference on the setting, I am very open to suggestions on this. As for the band, I would like to have "mini diamonds" around the top portion of the band and the band itself has to be white gold. Not too much where it would dilute or remove the spotlight from the main diamond, but just enough to add finesse. I feel this is where I need help with most.
I've gone onto the JamesAllen website and customized a ring that I found to be very nice. It is attached into this file. Now that I am looking at it again, I feel the band may be a little too thick where it is giving the illusion of a smaller diamond. Abby is only 5'4 with a finger size of 4. At this point I am not sure if this is a good purchase. Again, I am here sharing all this because I am seeking suggestions, tips, and well, an answer to my fiancial situation. I would grately appreciate any help!
Thank you in advance!