Does your fiancee know how much you spent on her e-ring?

[skypie]

My fiancee gave me a max limit...and I spent pretty close to that limit. But she doesn't know the exact amount.

I feel like in general people don't really understand the cost of diamonds. E.g. I bet people think the cost of a 2 carat solitaire vs a 0.5 carat with halo are about the same since the total face up area is about the same.

 

[OoohShiny]

No - but it didn't take long for her to ask specs and then 'window shop' with her friends to look for comparable stones and their prices... lol

As a sidenote, and accepting that I bought when the US Dollar was much weaker against the British Pound, for the price of getting a 0.67ct F VVS2 CBI diamond from Wink, paying the import tax and having it set into a custom platinum solitaire in Hatton Garden, all I could find in the 'hearts on fire' line (or similar) locally was G/H/I SI stones of around 0.5ct in white gold, so one really can achieve a much better result for the same money if one is willing to purchase from overseas!

 

[HappyNewLife]

My wife gave me the budget for my upgrade (which was her idea!), so I spent every last penny of it! bahahahahah

 

[CareBear]

I absolutely knew how much was spent on my e-ring and he knows how much i spent on the upgrades.

 

[Lookinagain]

I feel like in general people don't really understand the cost of diamonds. E.g. I bet people think the cost of a 2 carat solitaire vs a 0.5 carat with halo are about the same since the total face up area is about the same.

I think most women who have an interest in jewelry know that is not the case.

 

[missy]

I always set the budget for my bling. The original ER was a surprise as was the proposal but all my upgrades after that were my decision and all the budgets set by me. But of course I made sure it was OK with my dh though that is just a formality.

 

[skypie]

To clarify - are you paying for your other bling/upgrades or is your husband?

I always set the budget for my bling. The original ER was a surprise as was the proposal but all my upgrades after that were my decision and all the budgets set by me. But of course I made sure it was OK with my dh though that is just a formality.

 

[LJsapphire]

We were together when we spotted it, so I knew what the asking price was. He told me he'd haggled down a bit. I also took it in for insurance appraisal so I know how much that is too. I was probably expecting him spend a bit less than he did. My first ring was just less than half of the cost so I think he got lots more for his money.
This is my first e-ring from my previous relationship.

 

[skypie]

Very pretty. Did you keep the e-ring after that relationship ended?

We were together when we spotted it, so I knew what the asking price was. He told me he'd haggled down a bit. I also took it in for insurance appraisal so I know how much that is too. I was probably expecting him spend a bit less than he did. My first ring was just less than half of the cost so I think he got lots more for his money.
This is my first e-ring from my previous relationship.

 

[cmd2014]

I knew the initial budget for my ring and I insisted that it be significantly reduced. As much as it was nice that DH wanted to make me happy, I thought the money was better spent on more practical things. While I sometimes think it would be nice to have a bigger ring, I can't say that I have ever regretted the decision not to go into debt or be stretched financially in order to have it.

Even now, although we're in a very different place financially than we were when we first got married, when it comes right down to it, I'd rather have a nice house, no mortgage, a generous nest egg for the future, and lots of vacations than bigger bling.

 

[Gussie]

My mother gave my husband a stone for my first ering so he got off pretty easy, lol. The budget for subsequent upgrades have consisted of me telling him how much I will spend. He knows I won't go over an amount that would hurt us financially.

 

[missy]

To clarify - are you paying for your other bling/upgrades or is your husband?

His money is my money and vice versa. Our money is together and we don't separate his and hers.
It's always been that way in our marriage.

 

[Ally T]

What @missy said. Everything is joint here too. My original engagement ring was a total surprise, but it was damaged beyond repair by our first daughter when she was a toddler about 3 years after the marriage. My pear cut was my replacement & I chose it. I knew what the insurance pay out was for the first as I dealt with it, but then on the way to the diamond dealer Mr T informed me he was matching the insurance payment for the new stone. I also had the 3 subsequent settings made & I deal with the insurance policy & individual valuations, so I know what it's worth now etc.

 

[skypie]

If I may ask how was a toddler able to damage a ring so severely??

What @missy said. Everything is joint here too. My original engagement ring was a total surprise, but it was damaged beyond repair by our first daughter when she was a toddler about 3 years after the marriage. My pear cut was my replacement & I chose it. I knew what the insurance pay out was for the first as I dealt with it, but then on the way to the diamond dealer Mr T informed me he was matching the insurance payment for the new stone. I also had the 3 subsequent settings made & I deal with the insurance policy & individual valuations, so I know what it's worth now etc.

 

[Ally T]

@skypie It was a cluster of princess cut stones in an invisible setting. She was twirling it around on her index finger when the ring flung off & landed on the kitchen floor, which is slate. It must have caught at just the right angle, as two of the diamond girdles impacted each other & one diamond cracked in half. Consequently it wasn't viable to fix. I was actually gutted, despite never having loved that ring!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Same here as with @missy and @ceg. We picked out the first diamond together (so I knew the price, and he returned and bought it), and then many years after kids when I was considering a reset, he suggested I should just get a new diamond ring. I found PS, and the rest is history. Our money has always been shared, and I picked out all my upgrades and all my jewelry. I only consult him on high priced items, but he always says yes since I only use money that is set aside for luxuries.

 

[Niel]

My husband doesn’t know what I spend on my bling and this is why we have a happy marriage.

 

[girlyglam]

I know exactly what he spent since I did everything myself - picking out the stone, vetting jeweler and getting quotes for a custom setting, and designing the setting. DH did have a budget, and I was happy to come in under that, and I did check in with DH to make sure he was OK with things along the way, but ultimately, I was steering the ship. I know it seems horribly unromantic to some, but I really love the research, vetting, and process of this sort of things. Plus I was able to get exactly what I wanted, so it worked for us.

 

[cflutist]

20+ years ago I knew exactly what my 3.01 F-SI1 pear ering cost because I traded in my 2.05 D-VS2 oval for it locally. Hubby didn't know a thing about diamonds while I was the Gemologist (GIA) 1989. Hubby-to-be was happy that I was chipping in more for my ring than he did.

Throughout our marriage our money has always been pooled. We don't set budgets per se, but we discuss large purchases together. When it comes to jewelry he encourages me to spend when I want to cheap out. He insisted that we buy a Tiffany Fancy Yellow diamond ring while in Carmel CA on vaction when I knew that we could get a better price from Wink or DBL.

When we were ordering my FIY diamond bracelet from Wink, I said that .15s would be fine, while hubby said that I should get .20s.(my other bracelet from Wink had .33s).

In 2014 with my Crafted to Order CBI, it initially was to be 2 ct, but we ended up with 2.21.

When I was considering the 2.79 F-VS1 CBI, I wanted to trade in the 2.21 CBI, but hubby wanted us to buy it outright. That 2.21 later became the center stone in HPD's Trilogy.

 

[rockysalamander]

I knew how how much was spent on my engagement ring before it was bought. We merged all our money since marriage and he knows how much all my jewelry costs and we discuss it. While we set aside money for "fun", life still happens and bling project get delayed for years sometimes.

 

[BlingDreams]

We had a range we wanted to spend, based on the research we’d done for what it should cost for what we wanted. In the end, we got an amazing deal on a larger than expected diamond and at the lower end of our budget. So I insisted my DH use the leftover budget money to buy the Burberry trench coat he was lusting after

We talk about every bling decision. No way I’d ever hide anything about that from him. Now, do I tell him that I lust after a 3ct AVR set in a perfect setting designed by Erika Winters, or that I would love a colored stone collection with settings by DK, VC, and maybe even LM??

Well, yeah, I guess I do that too

 

[PintoBean]

Yes my DH knew the cost of all my e-rings and they are what drove him to his early grave. #widowlife

 

[LLJsmom]

Of course. I picked it, bought it and then told him to wire the money.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Yes my DH knew the cost of all my e-rings and they are what drove him to his early grave. #widowlife

 

[totallyfree]

Yes... because I bought it on a bit of a whim! He insisted on paying half, such a gentleman

 

[foxinsox]

Yep I know exactly how much we spent cos I found it and paid for it from our joint finances. I earn 2 1/2 times what my husband does but we discuss all major purchases and decide jointly.

 

[LJsapphire]

Very pretty. Did you keep the e-ring after that relationship ended?

Yes, I tried to sell it to a jeweller but both platinum rings weren’t much so I’ve kept them. He never asked for them back.