Calling All E-rings From Outside The United States

[Gleam]

Date: 10/29/2009 9:50:43 PM
Author: Dancing Fire


avg in the U.S....1ct

avg PS......1.27ct

avg NYC....2.75ct

avg No.Ca & So.Ca.......2.5ct

avg in the mid west....70ct

What is your source for this, and what do you consider NYC (just Manhattan?)? The regional numbers for NYC and NorCal (where I used to live and grew up) doesn't sound right. Neither does the "midwest" as I live in Chicago and there are some rocks here. The way you're defining regions (either by "NYC" or "midwest") aren't comparable, and therefore the numbers aren't comparable, are they?

I know you like to make "guesses" but it's a little odd to present them as fact. I wonder how you even got these figures to begin with as I've lived in both NorCal, SoCal, and Chicago and those numbers wouldn't be my guesses.

 

[Gleam]

Date: 10/31/2009 3:59:03 AM
Author: swedish bean
So all groups of people take the subway? even really wealthy people???? So strange to me.

Yes, absolutely all people take the subway. From partners at white shoe law firms to guys to work at hedge funds to secretaries... This is the way it is in almost all metropolitan cities in the United States. The reason for this is because more often than not, public transit is more convenient. A subway or train doesn't have to stop at red lights and fight rush hour traffic on the street.

Plus, there's taxis. Even the very wealthy people I know who live in $10 million apartments tend to be one-car families. There are simply more convenient options than driving yourself around in a big American city (at least, NYC and Chicago -- probably not car-centric cities like LA and Atlanta).

Carolyn Bassett Kennedy was a frequent subway rider. She just stuffed her Hermes bag under her seat. You can see all kinds of well-known people on NYC subways.

I wear a 2.5 carat RB (not to say I'm wealthy -- just to mean that I could've spent the money on a car!) and I ride public transit, too. It's one of the best places for ring-spotting!!

 

[that_someone_special]

Date: 11/3/2009 11:16:20 AM
Author: Gleam

Date: 10/31/2009 3:59:03 AM

Author: swedish bean

So all groups of people take the subway? even really wealthy people???? So strange to me.

Yes, absolutely all people take the subway. From partners at white shoe law firms to guys to work at hedge funds to secretaries... This is the way it is in almost all metropolitan cities in the United States. The reason for this is because more often than not, public transit is more convenient. A subway or train doesn''t have to stop at red lights and fight rush hour traffic on the street.


Plus, there''s taxis. Even the very wealthy people I know who live in $10 million apartments tend to be one-car families. There are simply more convenient options than driving yourself around in a big American city (at least, NYC and Chicago -- probably not car-centric cities like LA and Atlanta).


Carolyn Bassett Kennedy was a frequent subway rider. She just stuffed her Hermes bag under her seat. You can see all kinds of well-known people on NYC subways.


I wear a 2.5 carat RB (not to say I''m wealthy -- just to mean that I could''ve spent the money on a car!) and I ride public transit, too. It''s one of the best places for ring-spotting!!

You learn something new every day. I totally forgot about the convenience part-- that makes sense. I don''t live in a highly populated area like chicago or NY (I''m in Minneapolis and it''s pretty small area wise). I seriously figured it would be easier to take a cab or drive or have someone drive you in the bigger cities.

Side question... does getting mugged worry you at all?? Maybe there are just a lot more creepy people in my area, but that is why I stopped riding the bus to school- so many creeps and I was tired of being hit on, talked to, watched, followed... and that''s before I had any diamonds to wear

 

[Gleam]

Date: 11/3/2009 12:59:37 PM
Author: swedish bean

Side question... does getting mugged worry you at all?? Maybe there are just a lot more creepy people in my area, but that is why I stopped riding the bus to school- so many creeps and I was tired of being hit on, talked to, watched, followed... and that''s before I had any diamonds to wear

I don''t worry about getting mugged on the train or bus, or at the train/bus stops. They''re well-lit, well populated areas, generally. You''re almost never the only person around. I only use them during the day. At night, I take taxis.

I''m more worried about getting mugged walking around, but even that is a minor concern. There''s not a lot of petty crime in the nicer neighborhoods of Chicago, so it''s not really on my mind. I don''t think criminals tend to target people who seem alert -- i.e. not blabbing on a cell phone, not listening to an iPod at night, etc.

I''ve only once seen/heard of crime happening on public transit. It''s when I saw a guy just blatantly stick his hand into a woman''s purse. I said, "Excuse me, Miss, but that man just tried to take the wallet out of your purse!" The man was like, "What, no I didn''t!" but he moved away and got off at the next stop. I''ve never heard from my friends or acquaintances that they''ve been mugged or pick-pocketed.

 

[DearBuddha]

Date: 10/31/2009 8:50:54 PM
Author: swl
I know this is about erings from outside of the states, but I also noticed something else that''s very interesting in my city-Boston, MA. Many of the professors and doctors that I encountered have less than 1 carat diamond rings and often just a plain gold band (maybe they leave their huge engagement rings at home?

) I don''t know if it''s because they present a kind and knowledgeable image, their smaller diamond rings look so elegant and so precious. I am sure this is a personal choice, including professionals, but this totally changed my idea of ''the bigger the better''


does anyone think a smaller diamond (ring) seems to be more precious?

I find this extremely curious, and wonder perhaps where in the city you live? I live in Brookline and work in Newton, but I also spend quite a bit of time in Back Bay and the South End as we''re currently house hunting there. The rings I see daily dwarf mine, which has a 1.3 carat weight. I work as a teacher in a private school, and many of my students'' parents are professors/administrators at Harvard, BU, and MIT. These ladies rock enormous stones!

I''m just surprised

Of course, stone size is preferential, so I''m sure there are many, many lovely Bostonians out there with smaller erings.

...which I do find precious, to answer your original question

AAAAAAANND back on topic now....

I work with a lot of Russian women, and I''ve noticed the trend among the Boston Russian community is to wear massive diamond engagement rings. A co-worker wears a 2ct RB with a plain gold wedding band, and a few others have 4ct+ princess cuts that they stack with smaller diamonds eternity bands. I find this trend curious but really neat to gaze at while pondering

 

[swl]

Hi DearBuddha, I live in Cambridge and work at the longwood medical area. I guess our perception of the city depends on the type of people we encounter. A lot of the doctors that I work with have low key appearances. The focus of attention is not on what they wear or what they carry (I am crazy for hand bags, lol so i pay attention to that as well), it's really on what they do and that's what I truly admire. So when I see them wearing a smaller diamond ring, it just adds a perfect touch of sparkle to their professional image. Same thing for professors but not so much for college administrators or hospital administrators. I often feel they belong to another work/life style category.

 

[Alexiszoe]

another bostonian chiming in. I live in Back Bay, and noticed that for e-rings it really runs the gamut from 0.5 carats to 5 carat e-rings. I think it really depends on what sector you are in and how comfortable you are standing out too.

In response to another poster who mentioned something about Singapore - when I was there I find that the e-rings size really depends on where I am at. Most of the e-rings i see are around 0.5 carat or so, high color and high clarity. When I go to the city''s ritzy malls though, that''s where I spot the large 4 or 5 carat rings. Makes my 3 carater feel small! :p

 

[blackberry16]

Date: 11/3/2009 1:51:24 PM
Author: DearBuddha

Date: 10/31/2009 8:50:54 PM

Author: swl

I know this is about erings from outside of the states, but I also noticed something else that''s very interesting in my city-Boston, MA. Many of the professors and doctors that I encountered have less than 1 carat diamond rings and often just a plain gold band (maybe they leave their huge engagement rings at home?

) I don''t know if it''s because they present a kind and knowledgeable image, their smaller diamond rings look so elegant and so precious. I am sure this is a personal choice, including professionals, but this totally changed my idea of ''the bigger the better''



does anyone think a smaller diamond (ring) seems to be more precious?

I find this extremely curious, and wonder perhaps where in the city you live? I live in Brookline and work in Newton, but I also spend quite a bit of time in Back Bay and the South End as we''re currently house hunting there. The rings I see daily dwarf mine, which has a 1.3 carat weight. I work as a teacher in a private school, and many of my students'' parents are professors/administrators at Harvard, BU, and MIT. These ladies rock enormous stones!


I''m just surprised

Of course, stone size is preferential, so I''m sure there are many, many lovely Bostonians out there with smaller erings.


...which I do find precious, to answer your original question

AAAAAAANND back on topic now....


I work with a lot of Russian women, and I''ve noticed the trend among the Boston Russian community is to wear massive diamond engagement rings. A co-worker wears a 2ct RB with a plain gold wedding band, and a few others have 4ct+ princess cuts that they stack with smaller diamonds eternity bands. I find this trend curious but really neat to gaze at while pondering

I think your information about Russian women in Boston is very interesting.

And to answer to the other part of this post: I think, more than diamond size, I love love love interesting and bespoke settings. I think some settings with smaller center stones are more beautiful than giant diamonds if the settings are different or unexpected.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/3/2009 5:36:20 PM
Author: Alexiszoe
another bostonian chiming in. I live in Back Bay, and noticed that for e-rings it really runs the gamut from 0.5 carats to 5 carat e-rings. I think it really depends on what sector you are in and how comfortable you are standing out too.

In response to another poster who mentioned something about Singapore - when I was there I find that the e-rings size really depends on where I am at. Most of the e-rings i see are around 0.5 carat or so, high color and high clarity. When I go to the city's ritzy malls though, that's where I spot the large 4 or 5 carat rings. Makes my 3 carater feel small! :p

Hello there Alexis!!

How are you? Long time no see!! Good to "see" you!!

It was me who said that. You're right. Most Singaporeans wear smaller erings, but the emphasis is def on higher colour and clarity, not so much on cut though, sad to say! The malls and the larger fancier parties are where you see the gigantic stones. Trust me, 3ct is not small!! I have a 3ct too, and I don't want to hear that it is small!!

....BUUUUUTTT I know what you mean though, nothing like looking at these giant diamonds that gives you a serious case of DSS!!

Are you still considering your upgrade? How's that going? As you may see, I'm still struggling to get larger stone...IF only the orignal vendor from whom I bought the 3ct had an upgrade policy, I'd have done it soooooo fast...already!

 

[dinamit]

My apologies SapphireLover, I thought you were a Londoner because of your remark about ring watching when on the tube. Unfortunately, the link you posted appears to be dead and I can''t get to your ring thread.

Ara_Ann, many Europeans wear their wedding rings on the right hand, it''s not that uncommon at all. I wonder which hand I should wear my future rings on, but I still have some time to decice . I guess "when in Rome..." and as I live in the UK, maybe I should wear them on my left hand, though everyone back home wears them on the right.

dinamit

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 11/3/2009 11:12:11 AM
Author: Gleam

Date: 10/29/2009 9:50:43 PM
Author: Dancing Fire


avg in the U.S....1ct

avg PS......1.27ct

avg NYC....2.75ct

avg No.Ca & So.Ca.......2.5ct

avg in the mid west....70ct

What is your source for this, and what do you consider NYC (just Manhattan?)? The regional numbers for NYC and NorCal (where I used to live and grew up) doesn''t sound right. Neither does the ''midwest'' as I live in Chicago and there are some rocks here. The way you''re defining regions (either by ''NYC'' or ''midwest'') aren''t comparable, and therefore the numbers aren''t comparable, are they?

I know you like to make ''guesses'' but it''s a little odd to present them as fact. I wonder how you even got these figures to begin with as I''ve lived in both NorCal, SoCal, and Chicago and those numbers wouldn''t be my guesses.

sooo, where am i off ??

 

[Alexiszoe]

Date: 11/4/2009 10:37:22 AM
Author: Phoenix
Hello there Alexis!!

How are you? Long time no see!! Good to ''see'' you!!

It was me who said that. You''re right. Most Singaporeans wear smaller erings, but the emphasis is def on higher colour and clarity, not so much on cut though, sad to say! The malls and the larger fancier parties are where you see the gigantic stones. Trust me, 3ct is not small!! I have a 3ct too, and I don''t want to hear that it is small!!

....BUUUUUTTT I know what you mean though, nothing like looking at these giant diamonds that gives you a serious case of DSS!!

Are you still considering your upgrade? How''s that going? As you may see, I''m still struggling to get larger stone...IF only the orignal vendor from whom I bought the 3ct had an upgrade policy, I''d have done it soooooo fast...already!

Hi Phoenix!

it''s been a while since I logged in, after I put myself on an imposed ban on PS - makes me want even more bling!

yes, i agree women there don''t really focus much attention on cut - there''s a lot of focus on color and clarity, but I think it''s such a shame to pay a nice chunk of change and it doesn''t sparkle because it''s poorly cut. Like what you said, I notice in HK there''s definitely a lot more bigger bling though, and I think the market there is bigger in terms of jewelry - I was spoilt for choice when I was looking at fancy yellows and custom work when I was there :p

I did get my upgrade - my 3 carat is a nice fat cushion in a Harry Winston-ish halo instead! I agree 3 carats is not small, my husband thinks I am crazy to even think it''s ''normal'' sized.

by the way, i love your studs! they are gorgeous

 

[AdiS]

Date: 11/4/2009 12:46:46 PM
Author: dinamit
My apologies SapphireLover, I thought you were a Londoner because of your remark about ring watching when on the tube. Unfortunately, the link you posted appears to be dead and I can''t get to your ring thread.

Ara_Ann, many Europeans wear their wedding rings on the right hand, it''s not that uncommon at all. I wonder which hand I should wear my future rings on, but I still have some time to decice . I guess ''when in Rome...'' and as I live in the UK, maybe I should wear them on my left hand, though everyone back home wears them on the right.

dinamit

Most Orthodox Christians and Eastern Europeans wear them on the right hand, myself included.

BTW, I don''t know if that has been mentioned already, but I read in Wiki that the tradition to wear the w-band on the right hand has Roman origin because the Latin word for left is "sinister" and for right is "dexter", and so the left hand had a negative connotation while the right has a good one.

The tradition of wearing it on the left hand is because people believed the fourth finger of the left hand contained the "vein of love".

#cite_note-4

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/4/2009 9:36:47 PM
Author: Alexiszoe

Date: 11/4/2009 10:37:22 AM
Author: Phoenix
Hello there Alexis!!

How are you? Long time no see!! Good to 'see' you!!

It was me who said that. You're right. Most Singaporeans wear smaller erings, but the emphasis is def on higher colour and clarity, not so much on cut though, sad to say! The malls and the larger fancier parties are where you see the gigantic stones. Trust me, 3ct is not small!! I have a 3ct too, and I don't want to hear that it is small!!

....BUUUUUTTT I know what you mean though, nothing like looking at these giant diamonds that gives you a serious case of DSS!!

Are you still considering your upgrade? How's that going? As you may see, I'm still struggling to get larger stone...IF only the orignal vendor from whom I bought the 3ct had an upgrade policy, I'd have done it soooooo fast...already!

Hi Phoenix!

it's been a while since I logged in, after I put myself on an imposed ban on PS - makes me want even more bling!

yes, i agree women there don't really focus much attention on cut - there's a lot of focus on color and clarity, but I think it's such a shame to pay a nice chunk of change and it doesn't sparkle because it's poorly cut. Like what you said, I notice in HK there's definitely a lot more bigger bling though, and I think the market there is bigger in terms of jewelry - I was spoilt for choice when I was looking at fancy yellows and custom work when I was there :p

I did get my upgrade - my 3 carat is a nice fat cushion in a Harry Winston-ish halo instead! I agree 3 carats is not small, my husband thinks I am crazy to even think it's 'normal' sized.

by the way, i love your studs! they are gorgeous

Ha ha, I don't think being away from PS would help me with my DSS either!

Oooohhhh, I see you've changed yr avatar too. Congratulations!! Wow!! NICE!!

Do you have more pics of that yummy beauty? Would you mind terribly starting a new thread? I'd so LOVE to see more....pretty please?

Thanks for yr kind words on my studs. Yeah, I love 'em too!

 

[Stone Hunter]

GREAT THREAD!! Thanks to all of you for sharing.

gls -- love your oval

nellen -- cool and unique ring

Adis -- what happens with the gold bands when folks in Bulgaria marry? do they become the wedding band? LOVE your cushion.

hihowareyou -- NICE OMC!!

yamanouchi -- COOLCOOL traditions and I like your diblas TFS!!

decodame -- Very pretty Aqua ering!

yssie -- that info about thali is way cool. Do you have any photos of them?

So if wearing the wband on the right hand is an Orthodox and Eastern European thing then why do the Germans and Austrians wear their rings on their right hands? Anyone?

 

[AdiS]

Date: 11/5/2009 9:48:08 PM
Author: Stone Hunter
GREAT THREAD!! Thanks to all of you for sharing.

gls -- love your oval

nellen -- cool and unique ring

Adis -- what happens with the gold bands when folks in Bulgaria marry? do they become the wedding band? LOVE your cushion.

hihowareyou -- NICE OMC!!

yamanouchi -- COOLCOOL traditions and I like your diblas TFS!!

decodame -- Very pretty Aqua ering!

yssie -- that info about thali is way cool. Do you have any photos of them?

So if wearing the wband on the right hand is an Orthodox and Eastern European thing then why do the Germans and Austrians wear their rings on their right hands? Anyone?

Hey, Stone Hunter!

The gold bands here are actually being exchanged on the wedding day and they don''t serve as e-rings before that. If there is an engagement ring at all, it''s also ususally worn on the right hand and switched to the left after the wedding (or they both stay on the right hand, like I tend to wear mine.)

I''ve been also wondering about Germans and Austrians'' tradition of wearing the w-band on the right hand but i guess it''s just a cultural thing.

 

[LisaLondon]

My fiance is half Austrian half French, and in Austria (a very Catholic country) everyone wears their wedding/engagement rings on the right hand. In Holland, the Protestants wear it on one hand and the Catholics on the other, but I can''t remember which is which. Also, I''ve noticed a lot of men (usually the older ones) in very aristocratic English families wear a small wedding band on their pinkie finger along with a signet ring, rather than on their fourth finger.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 11/6/2009 1:30:55 AM
Author: AdiS

Hey, Stone Hunter!

The gold bands here are actually being exchanged on the wedding day and they don''t serve as e-rings before that. If there is an engagement ring at all, it''s also ususally worn on the right hand and switched to the left after the wedding (or they both stay on the right hand, like I tend to wear mine.)

I''ve been also wondering about Germans and Austrians'' tradition of wearing the w-band on the right hand but i guess it''s just a cultural thing.

Thanks for answering I guess I just misread your post!!

 

[Lucie]

I am an American living in Spain, just a few miles outside of Madrid. I've been here for about 3 1/2 years. (My boyfriend is Spanish) Anyway, girls here don't usually get erings. I've been being super observant for months now and I've yet to see a diamond ering. I have seen a few gold wedding bands though. And from what I've seen people don't have elaborate proposals either. It's more like..."We decided to get married," which is kind of what my boyfriend and I have done! We've been thinking about and looking at rings for months now and there simply isn't the type of selection here that you see back home in the States. The local stores in the town where I live have really simple and delicate solitare settings, usually in yellow gold or possibly white gold. (There is no platinum) The diamonds in the stores are like 1/4 carat, nothing really bigger than that.

Last weekend we finally went to a pretty upscale shopping center in Madrid and looked at the high end stores like Cartier and some other Spanish jewelers that seem to have been around forever and are really pricey. At first I was nervous to go in these high end stores because we are a young couple (I'm 26) and around here most older women don't even have such jewelry and a person of my age definitely doesn't buy such expensive pieces, so I was expecting to be treated pretty badly. One lady started showing me some small (but beautiful) simple settings with smaller diamonds and my boyfriend said to me, "Show her the one you were looking at in the display case." And when I showed the women the ring (the most elaborate setting with 3 sided pave) she almost laughed at me. Well, she did sort of laugh and did a mini eye roll muttering something like....well obviously you like this one!!" Implying that I had no idea how expensive it was and couldn't dream of buying it! Let's just say when they figured out I was American, they quickly went to the back of the store and pulled out other rings and began talking to me about having a custom setting made. (They must know about the American tradition and the diamond rings that girls wear in the US) It's interesting to note though, that even in this high end store, they only had one or two diamonds that were 1 carat and then I think they had one 2 carat. When I asked about certifications she seemed to be a little offended and said that their jewelry house had been around forever and they had people who certified the diamonds there in Madrid.

We then went over to Cartier and had wonderful service from the very first second. I couldn't believe however that the store was full of watches and had only one small case of rings. Several different wedding bands and only ONE ering in the entire store !!!! It was so small I had to put it on my pinky. The only ring they had in stock and it was like .40 carats or something like that. Unfortunately I fell in love with that ring, (I think it was the Cartier 1895) not sure if it was because I really really love it, or because it's one of the few rings I was able to try on that was similar to what I'm looking for!

There are other high end stores in Madrid we just haven't been able to get to them yet. I know I'll buy online but I really want to try on the rings and see the carat weights. I originally wanted 1 carat but now I'm starting to think that I'll be embarrassed to wear that here. I don't want everyone to fall over when they see my ring. The thing is, we are planning to go back to the USA in a few years so I won't be here forever....but in the meantime....I'm having second thoughts as to what people will say when they see me with several thousand euros on my finger!

Anyway, I'm not sure if everything I've posted is relevant, I just thought my experience would be interesting for this thread!

 

[Dandi]

Fantastic thread! Another Aussie chiming in here.

I live in the second largest city in our state (Melbourne being the largest) so I tend to see a large variety on e-rings. I'd say the average would be about .50ct, and having worked for 10 years in a jeweller, have sold many an Ering! The most popular by far is the princess cut solitaire in 18ct white gold. Every 9th or 10th one I'd sell, the customer would ask for a carat or bigger. 18ct yellow gold RB solitaires are still fairly popular, as are RBs in 18ct white gold. Plain solitaires with diamond wedding bands are popular, and lots of women tend to lean towards the bigger invisable set styles, a big look for the price! They can be tricky to repair should a diamond fall out, however, and I made a point of highlighting that to people looking at them, not to particulary sway them one way or the other, but to give them a chance to make an educated decision. Most then chose a solitaire instead!

My e-ring is a .77 RB flanked by 2 .39 RBs, in 18ct yellow gold with white gold claws. I was engaged at 22, so by the standard of where I live, it was larger than average, particularly for my age group. Lots of people my age buy what they can and upgrade later, when they've bought their houses and taken their holidays. DH and I owned our own home before we were engaged, so I guess we might have had a little bit more dosh for a ring, we weren't saving for a house downpayment or anything like that, and were both working full time. It's all relative of course, at age 22 alot of people around here are still at uni and renting.

I've worked in jewellers in Melbourne, and man there are some rocks there! I don't know what the average e-ring size in Melbourne city would be, but I did sell ALOT of 1ct and above solitaires in my short time there. A handful of 2ct+ are sold within the company in Melbourne every month, so they're out there!

Here's mine:

 

[AdiS]

Date: 11/8/2009 5:35:39 AM
Author: DandiAndi
Fantastic thread! Another Aussie chiming in here.

I live in the second largest city in our state (Melbourne being the largest) so I tend to see a large variety on e-rings. I''d say the average would be about .50ct, and having worked for 10 years in a jeweller, have sold many an Ering! The most popular by far is the princess cut solitaire in 18ct white gold. Every 9th or 10th one I''d sell, the customer would ask for a carat or bigger. 18ct yellow gold RB solitaires are still fairly popular, as are RBs in 18ct white gold. Plain solitaires with diamond wedding bands are popular, and lots of women tend to lean towards the bigger invisable set styles, a big look for the price! They can be tricky to repair should a diamond fall out, however, and I made a point of highlighting that to people looking at them, not to particulary sway them one way or the other, but to give them a chance to make an educated decision. Most then chose a solitaire instead!

My e-ring is a .77 RB flanked by 2 .39 RBs, in 18ct yellow gold with white gold claws. I was engaged at 22, so by the standard of where I live, it was larger than average, particularly for my age group. Lots of people my age buy what they can and upgrade later, when they''ve bought their houses and taken their holidays. DH and I owned our own home before we were engaged, so I guess we might have had a little bit more dosh for a ring, we weren''t saving for a house downpayment or anything like that, and were both working full time. It''s all relative of course, at age 22 alot of people around here are still at uni and renting.

I''ve worked in jewellers in Melbourne, and man there are some rocks there! I don''t know what the average e-ring size in Melbourne city would be, but I did sell ALOT of 1ct and above solitaires in my short time there. A handful of 2ct+ are sold within the company in Melbourne every month, so they''re out there!

Here''s mine:

Oh, I''ve always loved your ring!

 

[E B]

Date: 11/4/2009 7:49:02 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 11/3/2009 11:12:11 AM

Author: Gleam

Date: 10/29/2009 9:50:43 PM

I know you like to make 'guesses' but it's a little odd to present them as fact. I wonder how you even got these figures to begin with as I've lived in both NorCal, SoCal, and Chicago and those numbers wouldn't be my guesses.

sooo, where am i off ??

Oh...everywhere? By at least 27 points in each stat.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 11/1/2009 1:24:15 AM
Author: Pandora II
Few extra points:

- I used to work in political fundraising and so knew some EXTREMELY wealthy people who regularly take the Tube (our subway). It''s one of the quickest ways to get around London - you can be stuck for hours in traffic here. Their wives also had quite modest bling on the whole - very disappointing!

- One reason I think Brits don''t spend a lot on rocks is that they worry about being scammed. Too much unknown in diamonds.

Plus they cost a blimmin fortune here!

 

[zoebartlett]

This is such an interesting thread! I''m having fun reading it.

 

[Dandi]

Date: 11/8/2009 7:44:55 AM
Author: AdiS

Date: 11/8/2009 5:35:39 AM
Author: DandiAndi
Fantastic thread! Another Aussie chiming in here.

I live in the second largest city in our state (Melbourne being the largest) so I tend to see a large variety on e-rings. I''d say the average would be about .50ct, and having worked for 10 years in a jeweller, have sold many an Ering! The most popular by far is the princess cut solitaire in 18ct white gold. Every 9th or 10th one I''d sell, the customer would ask for a carat or bigger. 18ct yellow gold RB solitaires are still fairly popular, as are RBs in 18ct white gold. Plain solitaires with diamond wedding bands are popular, and lots of women tend to lean towards the bigger invisable set styles, a big look for the price! They can be tricky to repair should a diamond fall out, however, and I made a point of highlighting that to people looking at them, not to particulary sway them one way or the other, but to give them a chance to make an educated decision. Most then chose a solitaire instead!

My e-ring is a .77 RB flanked by 2 .39 RBs, in 18ct yellow gold with white gold claws. I was engaged at 22, so by the standard of where I live, it was larger than average, particularly for my age group. Lots of people my age buy what they can and upgrade later, when they''ve bought their houses and taken their holidays. DH and I owned our own home before we were engaged, so I guess we might have had a little bit more dosh for a ring, we weren''t saving for a house downpayment or anything like that, and were both working full time. It''s all relative of course, at age 22 alot of people around here are still at uni and renting.

I''ve worked in jewellers in Melbourne, and man there are some rocks there! I don''t know what the average e-ring size in Melbourne city would be, but I did sell ALOT of 1ct and above solitaires in my short time there. A handful of 2ct+ are sold within the company in Melbourne every month, so they''re out there!

Here''s mine:

Oh, I''ve always loved your ring!

OH, thankyou SO much, sweetheart! That comment has made my day

Big hugs to you!!

 

[AdiS]

Date: 11/9/2009 3:56:02 AM
Author: DandiAndi

Date: 11/8/2009 7:44:55 AM
Author: AdiS


Oh, I''ve always loved your ring!

OH, thankyou SO much, sweetheart! That comment has made my day

Big hugs to you!!

Aw, you''re welcome! I''m glad I made someone happy today! And hugs back at ya!