Calling All E-rings From Outside The United States

[Pandora II]

I'm from London, UK.

My ring - 1.42ct cushion cut tsav with 0.56ct melee in custom platinum split-shank setting.

DH and I are mid-late 30's and earn very good salaries. Most of our friends are in the 6 figure salary bracket and we're all home owners. Most of our peers have less than a carat rb solitare diamonds or sapphires with diamond sides. I'd say in the USA they would probably all have 2ct plus, but here a rock that size would be assumed by many to be fake or overly ostentatious.

The cost of living here is very high - a 2 bed flat on a welfare project in a not popular area will easily cost £300k GBP

- so big budgets tend to be the exception. It's also rare for people to get engaged before they're late 20's/early 30's - again no $$ and too busy working!

My e-ring is considered big here - and everyone thinks it's an emerald

. I'm not a diamond person, coloured stones are my passion. I designed my own e-ring after a very suprise proposal.

Coloured stones are very popular - sapphires in particular. The Royal Family have mainly had colored e-rings which may have something to do with it. In my own family, my grandmother has an emerald, my mother and sister both have sapphires.

It's very normal for the man to propose without the ring and the couple to then shop together. I help a lot of people with ring design and stone buying and rarely use UK suppliers - I can't get the quality/price over here especially with coloured stones.

I know a few people with exceptional jewellery, but they are older and have a passion for it. Most people have no interest other than 'ooohhh that's pretty'.

 

[GliderPoss]

What a great thread! I'm from Australia too. From what I've seen:

Mostly diamonds, usually 0.50 or less. My sister has 1ct and it's considered Ivanka Trump style...

Retail prices are high and plenty of mall stores which seems to be the usual source of e-rings. (Poor quality too I might add!)
Older generation have more coloured stones, often Aussie sapphires set in yellow gold.
My generation is all about platinum and white gold. Diamonds aren't getting much bigger though.
Coloured stones aren't common anymore - I got asked where are the diamonds on my ruby ring

So I like bucking the trend and I'm going for a large coloured stone set in yellow gold....

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I am from Brazil. Here, couples buy a matching set of bands when engaged. They are usually yellow metal, perhaps with a diamond burnished into the lady''s band. High polish is still the favourite, but satin and brushed finishes are becoming more common.

Large diamonds are pretty hard to find. I was amazed at the rings I saw when I visited the USA! There really isn''t much to compare around here. My 0.35 OMC pendant is considered huge, for example.

Coloured stones are more common, but few people have a sense of quality and most stones are of dubious merit. I nearly had a fit when my small paraiba was called "Blue topaz" by a sales girl in a jewelry store

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Date: 10/27/2009 1:06:26 PM
Author: shimmer

Date: 10/27/2009 12:01:09 PM

Author: Cosmo gal

Hi all!


I''ve lived in many different cities and I can tell you that in Japan, people usually get below 1 carat but they really LOVE branded diamonds like Tiffany etc. Diamonds are also very expensive too.



In South Korea, under 1 carat is common and many girls dream of getting 1 carat. I have friends who have gotten 1.5 carat and they are considered very big. The general population does not know much about diamonds and in the market, you will see many stones with high color but SI1-SI2 level clarity.



I now live in Hong Kong... and HK is VERY different from other Asian cities. There are many more rich people here who also LOVE to show that. (you see Bentleys and Ferraris all the time). My friends have 2-3 carat rings and there are multiple jewelry shops on almost all major streets showing 5+ or even 10+ carats rings. On streets, easy to see people with HUGE ring (so my 2.65 ct stone seems a bit small . HK is similar to NY in that way.

Cosmo, that''s interesting about South Korea. I was there last year for a wedding and the bride did not have an ering yet (but I think they were planning on getting one after as they were asking me for tips). Is this common there? They got married with plain bands.

Also interested in hearing more about Korea. We were just there in April adopting our daughter, and her foster parents (in their 50s) both wore gold wedding rings on their middle fingers. One of their sons (in his early 30s) was in a serious relationship and wore what also looked like a plain gold wedding ring on his wedding finger, as did his girlfriend. And all the Korean soap operas kept talking about love rings. Are these customs common?

 

[decodame]

Yet another Aussie here.

My first ering was a total diamond weight of .50ct (.25pt centre stone, and .25 set in the shoulders)in 18ct yellow gold, that was lost by my husband. My second ring was a .50ct solitaire in a classic Tiffany style setting in 18ct yellow gold. Nothing out of the ordinary by Aussie standards.

When my ring was replaced yet again this year, we went with a square emerald cut 1.65ct aquamarine, with 2 .25ct princess cut diamonds on each side in a two toned, 18ct trellis setting. It''s been a few months now, and I am still in love

 

[justginger]

Another Australian experience to add -- agree with most other Aussie highlights.

Surprise and tradition is important. In my experience few women help choose their ring, and I don''t know any who have financially contributed.

All 18k white gold, very little platinum. One of the biggest custom jewellers in town has 19 benchmen - and only one works in platinum. When I mentioned wanting platinum for my ring, I got looks like I was asking for the Hope Diamond. It has very expensive connotations, despite its actual relative affordability these days.

Most people buy something already created at ye olde maul shoppe. No certs, poor cuts, fudged in-store gradings. Shameful.

Quite a few people take advantage of the relative ease of getting nice Argyle diamonds. There are some beautiful champagnes floating around.

Many princesses of late. Probably a 50/50 split of RB and princess. Within my circle of friends/coworkers, I think there is one cushion and one emerald cut.

I work in a fairly affluent place, so we''ve got a few people who have large diamonds -- but they stand out and people talk about them. A girl in another dept iin my building got engaged (RB solitaire, cathedral); I suspect the stone is around 1.75 carats. Not a single girl in the tea room, excluding me, would entertain the idea that it was real. 2 other coworkers have stones (1 EC, 1 princess) that are probably around 1.5. Everyone else is probably in the .5 carat range. Or they''ve got those cluster settings that are designed to take 4 smaller princesses and make them look like one 2 carat stone.

It''s very interesting to read about engagement tradition in other cultures. I''ve found Australia to be much like the US, just not quite as far along in the "more is better, bigger is better" mentality yet!

 

[Yamanouchi]

Date: 10/27/2009 2:43:02 PM
Author: AdiS

Date: 10/27/2009 1:43:11 PM

Author: Yamanouchi

Thank you so much, AdiS!! Would happily post more pics if anyone''s interested

I too love that ring in your avatar!! Could you link me to its thread?? Love to see more pics of it..

Well sure, here you go: linky


And yes, do post more pics please!


You know, I loved learning more about Egypt''s engagement traditions. I''m very partial to Egypt since i spent my honeymoon there. Beautiful country!

Lovely ring AdiS!! Thanks for the link

I''m very happy that you found my post interesting.. Many thanks for the support on my very first pricescope experience!!
You got me all excited.. Maybe I''ll start a thread with pics of my band soon

Yaay!! I''m glad you liked your trip to Egypt!! What places have you been too?? Any favourites?? Shame we haven''t met earlier, maybe I could''ve been of any help.. I guess maybe next time

 

[MishB]

I''m from Melbourne, Australia. I have a very unusual ring by Australian standards, I wear an antique 5 stone ring as my wedding band, I don''t have an engagement ring. I''m now 41 and got married at 34.

Of the women I know, the younger set (on their ''starter'' marriage

) generally choose a very conventional RB or princess cut solitaire usually not any bigger than 1/2 carat. 3 stones are also fairly popular, but I don''t know anyone with a haloed diamond. Plain gold wedding bands are gradually being taken over by diamond bands, usually channel set.

Those getting married in their 30''s or later often choose something a little more unusual, like a rose gold band with scattered hammer-set champagne diamonds (to give one example). Most of my friends in my own age group have successful careers and have husbands with successful careers, often expensive cars and multiple homes, but it seems the more affluent they are the more modest their ring choices.

I only know one confirmed case of an upgrade - the wife of a friend who started off with a very small RB solitaire, then was given a very large EC ring by her mother in law, and wore it as her engagement ring. I know other, older women with large diamonds who I suspect have upgraded as they married fairly young, it would have been very unusual for Australians in their early 20''s to buy a large diamond engagement ring 10-20 years ago.

 

[blackberry16]

Date: 10/27/2009 9:45:56 AM
Author: Yamanouchi
Hi,

My name is Yomna, and I''m from Cairo, Egypt. I LOVE this site!! Been lurking for a couple of weeks, finally registered today.


Thank you blackberry for starting this thread!! It''s really interesting knowing the customs of each country.. Well, I am recently engaged and this is how things work around here..


The engagement starts by exchanging wedding bands called a ''dibla'' which would be traditionally yellow gold for the ladies, and silver for gents (it is not common for men to wear gold, for religious reasons).. The dibla could be plain or patterned, and usually engraved on the inside by the spouse''s name and engagement date..

During the engagement period the dibla is worn on the right hand.. After the wedding it is transferred to the left hand, indicating the couple is now officially married..


After exchanging diblas (commonly during or right after the engagement party, comes the ''shabka'' which is a gift given by the groom to his bride, in which she chooses freely what she desires within her fiance''s budget.. Usually it consists of a diamond ring and band.. And of course the ranges are wide depending on the groom''s social and financial status.. But for the middle class, it is around 0.5-1 carat..


I like things on the fancier edge(compared to the local standards) so I picked a Cartier ring..

I''ll try to attach a pic now.. Thanks for letting me share

Wow that is such an interesting tradition! Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[blackberry16]

Date: 10/27/2009 7:16:09 PM
Author: dinamit
I am loving this thread, thanks for starting it Blackberry! Are you in the US? It''s been really interesting to read about the preferences and the traditions in different countries, but also to see how international Pricescope is! I always wondered about that. I found a lot of truth in everyone''s comments; eg, I have a friend in NZ who wears a wide white gold band with diamonds burnished into it, just like Musey said.


I''ve lived in London, UK, for more than half of my life. We already had some input on the UK from Samantha, and I would say that to most women a 1ct ring is considered very desirable here. If you have one, it''s something to show off and be proud of. This of course varies on the social circle you are in, however the living costs in London are SO high, that people don''t have much disposable income. People in the US have a better standard of life than in the UK, which shows in bigger houses, cars, diamonds etc.; there is a reason why it was dubbed ''the american dream'', but from what I understand, the average diamond size even in the US is still under 1/2 carat. I have a very international and educated (ie in good jobs) circle of friends, and most of them have small diamonds, if at all; eg a German friend wears only a WG wedding band with several 0.02 or so diamonds. My future ER will have a 0.95 RB that we bought from the US for a good price. RBs are the most popular, followed by princess cuts. You can get fancies, but they aren''t as readily available. If you go to Hatton Garden, London''s diamond district, many shops sell rings of several carats but I don''t see that many on women day to day, though there are always exceptions. I saw a woman on the underground (subway, to everyone else) with the most beautiful, dazzling ring with a min 3ct rock, but she didn''t look english. Generally speaking, the diamond market isn''t as sophisticated as in the US, and people still have a lot to learn. Not many people know about the importance of cut quality. Prices are inflated too.


I have to admit that I find many settings sold here en large quite boring. They are often very traditional, and not exciting or different enough for a girl who loves design and contemporary, modern styles with an overall edgier look. I''ve been told that a ring I commissioned recently with a jeweller in the US is ''very Antwerp'' (ring arriving tomorrow, watch this space!

)


The first part of my life was spent in Serbia (former Yugoslavia to anyone who isn''t familiar with the region, although we''ve been put on the world map for all the wrong reasons). The tradition there is for the wittnesses/godparents (there isn''t really a word in english) to buy wedding rings for the bride and the groom. Traditionally, they were in yellow gold, but WG is more popular now, like in most countries. Like Adis said, ERs rode in to the region on a tidal wave of consumerism and younger couples are going for them, though mostly gemstones as diamonds are VERY, VERY expensive over there; eg a friend has a small ruby with diamond melee.


Phew, sorry this was so long everyone. I could carry on as I find this subject really interesting, but I have to stop myself before I bore everyone (unless it''s already too late?

)...


Keep the stories coming!


dinamit

I am from the US. I live in Utah, sadly diamond rings are not a popular topic in my circles (I am a teacher) so I have to get my fix on PS.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/28/2009 2:15:03 AM
Author: justginger

I work in a fairly affluent place, so we''ve got a few people who have large diamonds -- but they stand out and people talk about them. A girl in another dept iin my building got engaged (RB solitaire, cathedral); I suspect the stone is around 1.75 carats. Not a single girl in the tea room, excluding me, would entertain the idea that it was real. 2 other coworkers have stones (1 EC, 1 princess) that are probably around 1.5. Everyone else is probably in the .5 carat range. Or they''ve got those cluster settings that are designed to take 4 smaller princesses and make them look like one 2 carat stone.


It''s very interesting to read about engagement tradition in other cultures. I''ve found Australia to be much like the US, just not quite as far along in the ''more is better, bigger is better'' mentality yet!

lol, how funny Ginger that you mention about your co-worker - I had a very similar experience at my last workplace.
For the record, I''m also Aussie.

That was back when I was wearing a 1.25ct Ideal cut RB - I got a lot of "those looks" from older women (I am mid-20''s) - I imagine many suspected it was fake, as diamonds tend to be very expensive here, especially in comparison to the US.

Anyway - back to the workplace; I was the only one with a larger ring. Most would''ve been ~0.30ct. My female co workers knew of my jewellery obsession as they''d ask to see my new gems, etc.
One day, my manager showed up with a new (different) ering. If it were real, I would''ve estimated it at ~1.75cts (some kind of mixed square cut). But the setting it was in was el cheapo, and I knew without a doubt the centre wasn''t real (was clearly a simulant of some sort).

She did of course try to pass it off as real, and it felt like she was competing with my ring - Not cool!

Apart from that fun story, agree with much of what the others have said - traditionally smaller diamonds, although with the introduction locally of larger/more prestigious stores like Tiffany I am seeing some nice honkers (more on late 20''s/early 30''s women).
Yellow or white gold more popular, and yes platinum is prohibitively expensive and not usually worked in. Designs are pretty safe and boring for the most part, however there are some good smaller custom places emerging.

Variety and quality of coloured gems is shocking from what I''ve seen, also stupidly expensive. My younger sister had a custom tanzanite ring made for her engagement, and I have to hold my tongue on the cost and the cut

 

[blackberry16]

I am so glad that everyone is enjoying this thread, I think all the traditions are so interesting! I didn''t realize that colored stones were so popular in other countries (so cool). Thanks everyone for all your input, keep it coming!

 

[Cosmo gal]

Hi Logan,
I''m so happy to hear about your adoption! You guys are so sweet for adopting a child!
As for Korea, people do not strictly adhere to the western concept of wedding ring and engagement ring.
For example, unmarried couples wear matching wedding-band-like rings all the time and it just symbolizes that you are in a relationship and rings does not necessarily mean marriage. We call them "couple ring".

As for the traditional gifts exchanged for marriage, women typically get "sets" of jewels, and a single set consists of ring, earring, bracelet and necklace, and the sets should given in odd numbers. For example, 3 sets of jewel could be diamond set, gold set and pearl set. I have seen my friends get up to 9 sets which were diamond, pearl, gold, emerald, sapphire, ruby, coral, silver, opal. So you would end up with 9 rings, 9 bracelets, 9 earrings and 9 necklaces. (many in quantity, but stones tend to be smaller) After receiving them, most people keep the jewels in bank safe and they never see the light of day!

The younger generation is under more western influence, so more people are opting to get a nice diamond ring that one can wear in exchange of all those sets of jewelries. However, marriage does not happen with surprise proposal with diamond ring in Korea. In general, both must first seek approval from the parents, then the parents of both side meet and agree on marriage, then the date and venue is set. Couples then start to shop for jewels together including diamond rings. Also if the girl gets 1 carat, then the guy would get 0.5 carat, if the girl gets 0.5 carat, the guy would bet 0.3 carat and so on.

 

[waterlilly]

Date: 10/28/2009 8:05:02 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 10/28/2009 2:15:03 AM

Author: justginger


I work in a fairly affluent place, so we''ve got a few people who have large diamonds -- but they stand out and people talk about them. A girl in another dept iin my building got engaged (RB solitaire, cathedral); I suspect the stone is around 1.75 carats. Not a single girl in the tea room, excluding me, would entertain the idea that it was real. 2 other coworkers have stones (1 EC, 1 princess) that are probably around 1.5. Everyone else is probably in the .5 carat range. Or they''ve got those cluster settings that are designed to take 4 smaller princesses and make them look like one 2 carat stone.



It''s very interesting to read about engagement tradition in other cultures. I''ve found Australia to be much like the US, just not quite as far along in the ''more is better, bigger is better'' mentality yet!

lol, how funny Ginger that you mention about your co-worker - I had a very similar experience at my last workplace.

For the record, I''m also Aussie.


That was back when I was wearing a 1.25ct Ideal cut RB - I got a lot of ''those looks'' from older women (I am mid-20''s) - I imagine many suspected it was fake, as diamonds tend to be very expensive here, especially in comparison to the US.


Anyway - back to the workplace; I was the only one with a larger ring. Most would''ve been ~0.30ct. My female co workers knew of my jewellery obsession as they''d ask to see my new gems, etc.

One day, my manager showed up with a new (different) ering. If it were real, I would''ve estimated it at ~1.75cts (some kind of mixed square cut). But the setting it was in was el cheapo, and I knew without a doubt the centre wasn''t real (was clearly a simulant of some sort).

She did of course try to pass it off as real, and it felt like she was competing with my ring - Not cool!

Apart from that fun story, agree with much of what the others have said - traditionally smaller diamonds, although with the introduction locally of larger/more prestigious stores like Tiffany I am seeing some nice honkers (more on late 20''s/early 30''s women).

Yellow or white gold more popular, and yes platinum is prohibitively expensive and not usually worked in. Designs are pretty safe and boring for the most part, however there are some good smaller custom places emerging.


Variety and quality of coloured gems is shocking from what I''ve seen, also stupidly expensive. My younger sister had a custom tanzanite ring made for her engagement, and I have to hold my tongue on the cost and the cut

I''m curious...it seems there have been a couple of comments about diamonds being more expensive in Australia than in the US. Can you tell me, how much more expensive? Are you sure it isn''t just that the variances in the value of currency make it seem that way?

When I was in Aus (this was way back in 2001) the Australian dollar was only worth half of the US dollar, so if I were to buy something that had a set ''world'' value so to speak, it would obviously cost me a lot more Aus. dollars than US dollars...does that make sense?

I always thought diamonds had a standard value regardless of what country you were buying them in...is that wrong?

I love these stories, by the way, great thread!!

 

[SapphireLover]

Another and totally different UK perspective here! I think it totally depends on where you live and who you mix with.

I am from a Jewish family, and its quite common for mum''s to have stones between 2-3 carats. My mum wears an awesome OEC that is probably about 2.5 carats that was her mothers. My aunt also wears a stone about 2 carats that was also my late my grandmothers. A lot of them are heirlooms (or married to jewellers!). When friends get engaged they mostly get at least 1 carat, but normally 1.5ish. I know somebody who got an RB that was well over 2 carats. Nearly everybody has a family friend who is a jeweller and gets them good deals!

I have moved away from home now and where I live none of my friends are Jewish. Most of them have about 0.3-0.5 carats that come from mainstream stores that sell rubbish at jumped up prices. People think I am so posh for having had my setting made for me. The idea of buying a stone and then getting a separate setting is alien to them, never mind having a bespoke setting! A colleague of mine got engaged and I managed to get her to go away from chain B&M stores and she ended up having her ring made for her from a jeweller in Birmingham. She was delighted with it and never realised she could have had something done like that.

As for my ring, its a 1ct EC, and back home is a relatively normal size. Where I live and work now, its considered HUGE, and people comment on it all the time. When I started my new job, somebody made a comment on how it was a "rock" and the whole office turned round and joined in as they''d been looking at it and thinking that but were too scared to say anything.

I know Pandora said coloured stones are more common, but I only know one person with a coloured stone ring. I did consider one, but ended up getting a diamond.

Oh, and I am sure this is universal for every big city, but when I am in London and on the Tube (subway) I love checking out the rings! I got spotted talking about this ladies ring the other day with my friend- we''d concluded it was about 2 carats but poor quality! Luckily she didn''t hear what we were saying, but caught us looking.

 

[justginger]

A very fair question about value/cost, waterlily. Each economy seems to have things that are disproportionately more/less expensive than similar things in other economies.

My rule of thumb that I''ve developed after living in both countries, is that GENERALLY things in Australia are about double the cost of what they are in my neck of the woods in the States. You want a meal out? In my hometown, you''ll pay about $7 for a pasta dish. In Perth, it''s $15 or so. A nice pair of jeans? Maybe $60 in the States, and at least $120 in Perth. Dog food? A bag that would be $55 in Missouri will cost you $109 in Perth. This, of course, is all evened out by the fact that I''m earning at least double what I would be in my hometown.

However, there are things that do not stick to this rule, for one reason or another - they are disproportionately more expensive (or less - which rarely happens when comparing Aus to the US...the only thing I''ve found substancially cheaper in Aus is prescription medication). Shipping costs, labor costs, supply and demand, taxes, brand premiums, I don''t know what the reasoning is. Diamonds are one of these things. They''re more than double Missouri prices. The intrinsic Aus "value" remains higher than that in the US, no matter what the exchange rate is (in fact, the exchange rate is about 91 cents to the US dollar at the moment, meaning that the extraordinary AUD prices you''re paying are even worse than if the exchange rate were still 50 cents to the dollar).

Other very expensive things that come to mind are beer (about $55-60/carton) and cigarettes ($12-14/pack)! I guess they''re trying to really make us pay for our addictions down here, even the sparkly type!

 

[blackberry16]

This is such cool information! It has been fun to find out where everyone is from. I hope more people see and contribute to this thread!

 

[blackberry16]

Date: 10/28/2009 12:58:56 AM
Author: decodame
Yet another Aussie here.


My first ering was a total diamond weight of .50ct (.25pt centre stone, and .25 set in the shoulders)in 18ct yellow gold, that was lost by my husband. My second ring was a .50ct solitaire in a classic Tiffany style setting in 18ct yellow gold. Nothing out of the ordinary by Aussie standards.


When my ring was replaced yet again this year, we went with a square emerald cut 1.65ct aquamarine, with 2 .25ct princess cut diamonds on each side in a two toned, 18ct trellis setting. It''s been a few months now, and I am still in love

LOVE this ring! So beautiful,

 

[blackberry16]

Girls that have shared your thoughts and traditions on this thread so far: Can you include some pictures of your rings just for funzies?

 

[shimmer]

I should have mine Friday or Monday, I will post a pic as soon as I do!

 

[hihowareyou]

Date: 10/28/2009 12:14:53 PM
Author: waterlilly

I''m curious...it seems there have been a couple of comments about diamonds being more expensive in Australia than in the US. Can you tell me, how much more expensive? Are you sure it isn''t just that the variances in the value of currency make it seem that way?


When I was in Aus (this was way back in 2001) the Australian dollar was only worth half of the US dollar, so if I were to buy something that had a set ''world'' value so to speak, it would obviously cost me a lot more Aus. dollars than US dollars...does that make sense?


I always thought diamonds had a standard value regardless of what country you were buying them in...is that wrong?


I love these stories, by the way, great thread!!

I wish I still had my collection of quotes from retailers. When I first started looking I was given quotes around of over $5000 for something like a 0.4 g/h vs2 princess with 0.2tcw side stones, no mention of lab or cut quality. A 0.5 RB in another store as a solitaire was something like $7000 and anything over 1ct that I tried on was priced $20k+

In every case I proposed, I always got a much better deal buying online and paying the import taxes. Australia is a pretty expensive place to live. I''m generally the sort of person who researches things online before buying them. I am always getting upset at how much extra we pay for things in Australia (jewelry, electronics, movies, stationary, cosmetics, etc) for example the stila tinted moisturizer that I use costs A$85 (US$76) in Australia, in the US is only costs US$34. Even factoring in the exchange rate, shipping charges and taxes payable on import buying from the US (unless it is an Australian product, and lets face it there isn''t many of those left) it is almost always cheaper.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/28/2009 2:28:26 PM
Author: justginger
A very fair question about value/cost, waterlily. Each economy seems to have things that are disproportionately more/less expensive than similar things in other economies.

Yup, Waterlily, Just Ginger and Hihowareyou are correct.
It seems to have nothing to do with exchange rates or standard pricing.

The higher cost of diamonds also goes for precious metals here.

For example, the sapphire ring (plat and diamonds) I am having made at the moment by BGD -
the average quotes from Aussie vendors for the same setting were at least 20 - 30% more expensive (and this is taking exchange rates, shipping and import tax into consideration).

Infact, a number of vendors were even ~40% more expensive than Leon Mege, who is considered one of the pricier vendors around PS

I don''t want to even know what it would''ve cost me to buy the actual sapphire here, lol..

Infact, it costs me a small fortune to insure my US jewellery purchases - because AU Insurance Co''s insist on a local appraisal and replacement value - so there is this huge local markup that is tacked on top of my premiums, even though I will not be replacing locally if anything may happen - can''t figure that one out!

I''ve always found this disparity odd. As in, alot of the diamonds are mined in Australia, right here in Just Ginger''s and my state..I always thought that should at least lower the price a lil, right? who knows!

As long as the exchange rate stays above 75-80c, it is *always* cheaper for me to buy gems & jewellery from the US.

JG, interesting comparison of other consumer products - I did not know this (except for the cigs and beer).
Another reason to relocate to the US me thinks

 

[AdiS]

Date: 10/28/2009 5:04:55 AM
Author: Yamanouchi

Date: 10/27/2009 2:43:02 PM
Author: AdiS

Date: 10/27/2009 1:43:11 PM

Author: Yamanouchi

Thank you so much, AdiS!! Would happily post more pics if anyone''s interested

I too love that ring in your avatar!! Could you link me to its thread?? Love to see more pics of it..

Well sure, here you go: linky


And yes, do post more pics please!


You know, I loved learning more about Egypt''s engagement traditions. I''m very partial to Egypt since i spent my honeymoon there. Beautiful country!

Lovely ring AdiS!! Thanks for the link

I''m very happy that you found my post interesting.. Many thanks for the support on my very first pricescope experience!!
You got me all excited.. Maybe I''ll start a thread with pics of my band soon

Yaay!! I''m glad you liked your trip to Egypt!! What places have you been too?? Any favourites?? Shame we haven''t met earlier, maybe I could''ve been of any help.. I guess maybe next time

You''re welcome! And you should definitely start a thread!

I''ve been to Hurghada, Luxor, Valley of the Kings and this gorgeous little island near Hurghada that was possibly my favourite. I''m planning on visiting again maybe next year so I could use your input then!

Sorry for the off topic, blackberry!

 

[Lozza]

Wow, so many Aussies here! I''ll add one more opinion to the mix

I live in Sydney and work in a bank, where most people have very good double incomes. There are a couple of people at work with impressive looking rings, but even then they are small by PS standards. One woman who just got married has a 1.2ct cushion in a halo, and everyone goes on and on about how huge it is. My boss has an (approx) 1ct halo with a pave diamond band on either side, and I stare at it all day.

My mum has a tiny diamond (probably 0.1 - 0.2ct), and has never mentioned an upgrade. I had never even heard of upgrades until discovering PS - I always thought you wore your engagement ring for life.

I am not engaged yet (should only be a few more weeks....) but I am getting a sapphire. I don''t know anyone else with one, although I do know one woman with a ruby. Most women my age (27) who are engaged or married have very small solitaires.

 

[MishB]

Date: 10/28/2009 12:14:53 PM
Author: waterlilly

Date: 10/28/2009 8:05:02 AM

Author: arjunajane

Date: 10/28/2009 2:15:03 AM


Author: justginger



I work in a fairly affluent place, so we''ve got a few people who have large diamonds -- but they stand out and people talk about them. A girl in another dept iin my building got engaged (RB solitaire, cathedral); I suspect the stone is around 1.75 carats. Not a single girl in the tea room, excluding me, would entertain the idea that it was real. 2 other coworkers have stones (1 EC, 1 princess) that are probably around 1.5. Everyone else is probably in the .5 carat range. Or they''ve got those cluster settings that are designed to take 4 smaller princesses and make them look like one 2 carat stone.




It''s very interesting to read about engagement tradition in other cultures. I''ve found Australia to be much like the US, just not quite as far along in the ''more is better, bigger is better'' mentality yet!

lol, how funny Ginger that you mention about your co-worker - I had a very similar experience at my last workplace.


For the record, I''m also Aussie.



That was back when I was wearing a 1.25ct Ideal cut RB - I got a lot of ''those looks'' from older women (I am mid-20''s) - I imagine many suspected it was fake, as diamonds tend to be very expensive here, especially in comparison to the US.



Anyway - back to the workplace; I was the only one with a larger ring. Most would''ve been ~0.30ct. My female co workers knew of my jewellery obsession as they''d ask to see my new gems, etc.


One day, my manager showed up with a new (different) ering. If it were real, I would''ve estimated it at ~1.75cts (some kind of mixed square cut). But the setting it was in was el cheapo, and I knew without a doubt the centre wasn''t real (was clearly a simulant of some sort).

She did of course try to pass it off as real, and it felt like she was competing with my ring - Not cool!

Apart from that fun story, agree with much of what the others have said - traditionally smaller diamonds, although with the introduction locally of larger/more prestigious stores like Tiffany I am seeing some nice honkers (more on late 20''s/early 30''s women).


Yellow or white gold more popular, and yes platinum is prohibitively expensive and not usually worked in. Designs are pretty safe and boring for the most part, however there are some good smaller custom places emerging.



Variety and quality of coloured gems is shocking from what I''ve seen, also stupidly expensive. My younger sister had a custom tanzanite ring made for her engagement, and I have to hold my tongue on the cost and the cut

I''m curious...it seems there have been a couple of comments about diamonds being more expensive in Australia than in the US. Can you tell me, how much more expensive? Are you sure it isn''t just that the variances in the value of currency make it seem that way?


When I was in Aus (this was way back in 2001) the Australian dollar was only worth half of the US dollar, so if I were to buy something that had a set ''world'' value so to speak, it would obviously cost me a lot more Aus. dollars than US dollars...does that make sense?


I always thought diamonds had a standard value regardless of what country you were buying them in...is that wrong?


I love these stories, by the way, great thread!!

waterlilly - to give another example. I bought a pair of diamond studs from Blue Nile, 1.04 ctw, I looked around at a few retail jewelers in Melbourne, I got quotes ranging from $5,500 - $7,200. The BN cost was about $2900, including customs duty, for similar quality diamonds in terms of clarity and colour, although the Australian diamonds weren''t certified so I am not sure about the cut.

They were delivered in mid August, so with the improvement in the exchange rate they would be even cheaper, although I''m sure retail prices won''t have gone down at all.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Another one of my awful photos!
You get the idea - it''s a 1ct EC set in a plain platinum ring. Wedding band has 0.08 princess cut set into the metal.

I''m in the UK, we got the stones and settings from a jeweller in Glasgow. Seven years ago today actually.

Jen

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

And another. It needs cleaned, doesn''t it!

 

[mrs k]

Hi everyone!
I am from Australia. This is my beautiful .90 rb D VS2 engagmement ring with a grain set wedding band with 17 x .02 diamonds. I think the average size here is around .50 to .75 but lately I have been seeing alot of bigger than 1carat around.
Just from reading this forum, I can tell that American''s like their rocks huge

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I''m Canadian. I see the gamut------gold bands, .25ctw and UP! When I got engaged over two decades ago my 1.50 was considered huge--and people would stare and comment on it with incredulity; but now that size is a little more commonplace. What I find interesting is that many women who get an anniversary upgrade, still wear their original wedding set and it is their right hand that sports the "new" rock.

cheers--Sharon

 

[musey]

Date: 10/29/2009 7:04:32 AM
Author: mrs k

Just from reading this forum, I can tell that American's like their rocks huge

Correction: many people on this forum like their rocks huge. The average engagement ring in the US is well under a carat, where you don't generally see larger stones (1ct +) until you get to more populous towns/cities.

This is a forum geared toward jewelry lovers: of course the size of diamond will be larger than average. Even still, the 'census' done somewhat recently showed that the average PS engagement diamond was not as large as one might think from thumbing through SMTR. I don't remember the exact size but I would encourage you to look at those threads if you're interested - they're quite illuminating!