Diamond Upgraders: How long before you get upgraded?

[tberube]

I''ve been seeing a lot of people on here who are upgrading significantly from their original engagement diamonds. I know that these message boards are a small slice of the population that is biased toward diamond lovers. But I''m wondering how long have you all been married before you upgrade?

 

[mamalala]

Were already married when I got my first diamond. Upgraded after 24 days.

 

[777_LDY]

I got my 1.2 center stone about 8 years ago, 4 years later we had .5''s put on for side stones. I''m not looking to replace the stones I have for a new one, I just want to add to them. Right now I am considering two .75 diamonds to add and make a 5 stone ring with a 5 ctw eband. When we married we were getting settled in and didn''t have the finances. We were also the first couple to marry out of our social circle...they waited to make the $$ first.

I don''t think I could replace my center stone but adding to it certainly doesn''t hurt

 

[grapegravity]

I am not married yet, and I have my first e-ring around Dec. 2002 (0.82 carat, H, VS2) and my bf has upgraded it to 1.20 carat H, Si2 last dec. Hopefully to upgrade again before I get hitched in 2009...

 

[mela lu]

I am in the minority - "We" upgraded before we got married. I kept the setting, but upgraded the quality and shape of the stone. My original engagement stone
was made into a pendant.

Hope that helps!

 

[MustangGal]

I upgraded on our 5th anniversary, and we were negaged 2.5 years, so 7.5 total.

 

[3shebabes]

I just received an upgrade stone for my upcoming (November 21st) 10th anniversary. I originally got engaged with a 1 carat pear, received a .75 carat total weight diamond ring wrap (6 round stones at approx. .12 carats each) for our 5th anniversary (which held off the upgrade "urge" a few more years, I suppose) -- and finally received my upgrade a month ago.

My upgrade stone is a 2.86 carat round brilliant G SI1 AGS Triple 0 -- but as thrilled as I was to receive it, I still haven''t decided for sure how to set it --so for now it lives in a little wooden ring box and I take it out everyday to admire it and play with it -- but I really wanna wear it!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I''ve never upgraded my stones but my hubby originally got a solitaire and we picked out my current setting together before we got married in 2005. He really liked the stone so he just went with it. I love my stone and I don''t think I''ll be upgrading any time soon unless we win the lottery hehehe.

My ideal upgrade would probably be a huge (3+ carats) emerald cut or assher set in platinum.

~Jess~

 

[blythe]

After we were engaged for a few months (sans ring) my hubbie asked one day "You don''t want a ring, do you?" Oh, how much he had to learn... I was and am a closet diamond nut. So we bought an inexpensive wedding set in South Africa as money was tight and I always joked that our 10th anniversary was going to hurt his pocketbook. What was a joke became a reality and my .6 carat will soon be a 3+ carat! We celebrate our 10th in December but ring is being shipped as we speak. I went through many stages over the years (in my mind): first taking my original stone and adding sides, then using my original stone as a side and then finally went for the dream solitaire that will wear to work/fancy occasions and keep my old set for weekends and the like as is very durable. I have not told any of my friends about the "upgrade" as is a bit out of character for me (I''m as unfashionable and sentimental as they come) and really don''t want to hear the "is the husband upgrade next" jokes, but sure they will come in time. I''ve always just wanted to own one beautiful piece, so it''s a dream come true for me and my hubbie totally gets it and has been incredibly supportive of the whole, fundamentally silly, endeavor. Go for it!

 

[diamondringlover]

It took me 20 years to upgrade from a tiny .18 ct to 1.01

now I am thinking my 25th sounds like the time to get it set in a very nice halo type setting

I cant afford to upgrade the diamond again as I have kids (one in college), mortgage, car payments and ect...

 

[musey]

I haven't upgraded and don't plan to, but here are some older threads on this topic, if you're interested!

THE REAL POLL: When to upgrade?
UPGRADES!!!
How many upgrades?
Question for those who have upgraded...
How many ring changes?

And this really recent one:
How many years were you married before you upgraded?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 10/26/2007 4:45:34 PM
Author: musey
I haven''t upgraded and don''t plan to, but here are some older threads on this topic, if you''re interested!

I don''t think I''ll upgrade either. The only time I think about it is when I start spending too much time on PS

lol My ten-year anniversary is in the spring and my husband and I have already decided that we''d love to go to France, so we''re saving for that.

When my 20 year anniv. comes around, it''ll be about time my kids are entering college, so again, there will be other priorites. (and by that time, I cannot say where my frame of mind will be. . .I''d love to trade my reliable car in for a luxury one

)

I do think it''s great that so many can upgrade. . .

 

[musey]

MC, I think it's fabulous, too! Plus, it gives us more pretty things to look at on PS

I've only had my ring for 9 months, so who knows how I'll feel after years and years. I think that it's plenty big enough to keep me satisfied forever!! I'd kinda rather keep it the same and save for bling to go into my ears, instead

Sorry for goin' a bit OT, tberube!

 

[Sharon101]

My Mum upgraded after 40 years!!!!! She had the ugliest ring ever, and we used to joke about it (after the upgrade not before!!!). Infact I wish I would have taken a photo and put it in the ugly thread. It was a small diamond in the centre with a really scary halo that looked like the whole thing was in a giant bowl.

Anyway fast forward to today and she has a 3 carat princess. It appears white and sparkly and is hard not to notice. It is not premium grade or cut or anything like that, but it looks fabulous.

So its never too late to get an upgrade!!!

 

[tberube]

wow. Thanks, Musey. You''re always so informative. I can see why you say you adore your ring because it''s freaking incredible. I just got engaged five months ago and of course I''m still oogling over my ring every day...but I figured in maybe 10 or 15 years I''d get sick of it and perhaps we''d have enough $$ to get me up to that 2ct. I''ve wanted since I was little. But I never suspected so many of you were upgrading in 4, 5 years, or even before you were married! Sometimes I wonder if PS is just a slice of super-diamond-freak demographics or if everyone around me is upgrading their diamonds every couple of years and I don''t even know it!

Either way you guys are making me a diamond fanatic and every time I come on this site I have to calm myself from getting up and telling my fiance that we need a bigger, whiter, better-cut diamond - now. And who''d have thought just a few months ago I was happy just that I had a diamond at all!

...but then again...isn''t that the whole point?

Don''t mind me. Just pondering.

 

[diamondfan]

I was married ten and then fifteen years before I upgraded. (did it twice!)

 

[marcy]

Upgraded mine on our 16th anniversary.

 

[LadyAmythyst69]

I "upgraded" last year after 6 years being married. This year me & Hubby are both getting new wedding bands. Our upgrades we''re more due to necessity though - middle-age-spread! LOL!

 

[AggieTexan]

I got engaged in 1986 with a .86 pear set in yellow gold with three small RBs on each side. At the time it seemed huge and very blingy, since most of my friends had half carat solitaires. We had two half eternity bands made as the wedding band and I kept the set like that for a couple years. I didn't like the way the rings were always spinning around so we had the two bands and the e-ring soldered together to make one ring. It was never very comfortable, and after another year or so I kept all the stones and had everything reset into one ring with all the small diamonds channel set.

Here's a picture of the ring I wore for about 17 years. Sorry it's so small...it was before I discovered the macro setting on my camera. I'll continue this in another post with a picture of my upgrade...

 

[AggieTexan]

We'll be celebrating our 20th anniversary on November 28th. We had my new ring made a little early so we could avoid the Christmas rush and any price increases! My new ring has a totally different look than the original. The center stone is a 2.43 H SI1 RB with a .25 RB on either side. The setting is platinum and there are 10 small diamonds in the shank. We're having a diamond eternity band made that I will have in another month or two. The long term plan is to also have two sapphire bands made, which I will wear either as ring guards with the big diamond ring or on both sides of the diamond eternity band.

Here's a picture of my new ring...

 

[musey]

Date: 10/26/2007 10:07:25 PM
Author: tberube

Sometimes I wonder if PS is just a slice of super-diamond-freak demographics or if everyone around me is upgrading their diamonds every couple of years and I don't even know it!

Precisely! There are people out there who upgrade, and if you're going to find them anywhere, it'll be on a diamond lovers' board!

Many times when we talk about upgrading around here, a lot of the people posting will say that of their friends and family, they're the only ones who have upgraded. I think the majority of people out there don't think of diamonds/jewelry anywhere near the same way we PSers do!

As for not upgrading, surprisingly some people may think you have even if you haven't! I went to see my stylist for the first time in 5 months (bad musey!) and she swore my stone was bigger than the last time she saw it. Couldn't be convinced otherwise!!

ETA: I once asked my mother, who has a terribly included (to the point of looking gray) .75ct marquise, if she's ever considered upgrading her stone. Not mentioning anything about her stone being included of course, because she's blissfully unaware

She got this puzzled look on her face, and just said, "Why?"

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 10/27/2007 9:35:35 AM
Author: musey

ETA: I once asked my mother, who has a terribly included (to the point of looking gray) .75ct marquise, if she''s ever considered upgrading her stone. Not mentioning anything about her stone being included of course, because she''s blissfully unaware

She got this puzzled look on her face, and just said, ''Why?''

LOL!!! THAT is most of the Real World, I think!

Whoa, baby, not HERE, though!!!

 

[gemgirl]

I wasn''t sure if this was an upgrade because it wasn''t diamond to diamond, but I guess it actually is. I got engaged in 1995 with a carat and a half round CZ in my present engagement ring mounting which is set with very nice G/H diamonds. In 1999, a year and a half after the wedding, I bought myself my beautiful 1.51 ct. G SI1 pear shaped diamond.

We had NO money back in 1995 for a number of different reasons and scraping together $650.- for the diamond mounting was all we could afford. It was either a CZ in the center or nothing. Nothing didn''t sound very good. LOL!

 

[fansynancy]

My initial stone when I got engaged in 1989 was a 1 carat marquis set with 2 baguettes. The color was good, but the clarity was lacking. At ten years I upgraded to a 2.10 crat RB ideal cut AGS 000 set with 2 trillions in platinum. That ring was just stolen, so now I am upgrading to a 3 carat RB or cushion. I hope to make the decision on the stone on Monday or Tuesday. My husband is still sentimental about the original stone. I still have that ring, but I can see the inclusion so at this when I look at it the includion is ALL I can see.

Nancy

 

[lyra]

From .26 to 1.77 in 24 years.

Next upgrade is new setting for 25th.

 

[Ellen]

24 years here too.

 

[gemgirl]

Nancy,

I''m so sorry your ring was stolen! How did it happen? Was it stolen from your home or was it taken from you while you were out and about?

I often worry about this exact thing happening. I can''t decide if I''m happy that I own so many beautiful things? or scared because I do?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 10/27/2007 9:35:35 AM
Author: musey

Date: 10/26/2007 10:07:25 PM
Author: tberube

Sometimes I wonder if PS is just a slice of super-diamond-freak demographics or if everyone around me is upgrading their diamonds every couple of years and I don''t even know it!

Precisely! There are people out there who upgrade, and if you''re going to find them anywhere, it''ll be on a diamond lovers'' board!

Many times when we talk about upgrading around here, a lot of the people posting will say that of their friends and family, they''re the only ones who have upgraded. I think the majority of people out there don''t think of diamonds/jewelry anywhere near the same way we PSers do!

We all think about diamonds WAY TOO MUCH here! lol My friend was GIVEN two sets of earrings and one set includes dangling colorless stones. She says she''s planning to take them in to see if they''re diamonds or not, but every time I ask her about the earrings, she says she''s forgotten all about them! I''m thinking, "what, are you crazy?" I cannot imagine the possibility of owning another pair of diamonds and finding out if they''re real just escape my mind like that!

 

[Beacon]

Six years. From 1.29 E princess to 2.57 D RB.

I am quite happy with this one. I tell myself this is "it", but who knows, maybe in another 6 years I''ll feel differently!

 

[LadyAmythyst69]

Date: 10/27/2007 9:35:35 AM
Author: musey

Date: 10/26/2007 10:07:25 PM
Author: tberube

Sometimes I wonder if PS is just a slice of super-diamond-freak demographics or if everyone around me is upgrading their diamonds every couple of years and I don''t even know it!

Precisely! There are people out there who upgrade, and if you''re going to find them anywhere, it''ll be on a diamond lovers'' board!

Many times when we talk about upgrading around here, a lot of the people posting will say that of their friends and family, they''re the only ones who have upgraded. I think the majority of people out there don''t think of diamonds/jewelry anywhere near the same way we PSers do!

As for not upgrading, surprisingly some people may think you have even if you haven''t! I went to see my stylist for the first time in 5 months (bad musey!) and she swore my stone was bigger than the last time she saw it. Couldn''t be convinced otherwise!!

ETA: I once asked my mother, who has a terribly included (to the point of looking gray) .75ct marquise, if she''s ever considered upgrading her stone. Not mentioning anything about her stone being included of course, because she''s blissfully unaware

She got this puzzled look on her face, and just said, ''Why?''

That reminds me of my mother in law. She has a diamond that is small but the bad part is that it looks too small for her. Just looks out of proportion. (I''ve seen plenty of "small diamonds" here that look stunning because they have good proportion.) Anyhow, she has loudly admired a few of my rings on several occasions. I feel like this woman could really use an upgrade! They have plenty of $$ and it wouldn''t have to be anything extravagant.

The reason it bugs the hell out of me is because my father in law is constantly upgrading the car he drives. He is always trading in for the latest sports model while my mother in law drives an old used car. Just because my MIL never complains about this doesn''t mean she wouldn''t like an upgrade herself. (Besides in my opinion my FIL has her so dominated that she wouldn''t dream of asking for anything like that for herself. But that''s a whole ''nuther story!)

Or maybe if the idea of an "upgrade"/replacement isn''t attractive then she could get a nice RHR.....

I''m surprised at how often I see this situation with the husband seemingly feeling free to spend and the wife not. Even though they both worked to earn that money.