Engagement set? or Just a single ring?

[MidwestDiamondHunter]

Can anybody point me in the right direction as to whether to purchase an engagement set for my fiance or just a single ring? Money is not part of the equation here. One jeweler told me that most people these days just purchase a single ring and that the days of buying the set is out of style...

I would love you hear what you all think!

 

[JulieN]

usually single, so she can pick her wedding ring later.

 

[cara]

I think considering the eventual wedding ring is a reasonable thing to do, even if you don''t ultimately purchase it at the same time as the e-ring.

Are you purchasing the engagement ring with or without input from your GF? If with input, is she just pointing out a few styles she likes or wants, or giving exact specifications?

For example, say you were to buy an emerald cut in a low basket setting. When you go to buy the wedding ring, it will either need a notch in it or there will be a gap between the two rings because the basket is so low. So if your GF wants an unnotched wedding ring with no gap, the low basket set e-ring with a "tall" diamond would be a poor choice for the engagement ring.

As another example, some women have had problems with shared prong rings rubbing when next to one another - sometimes the ring maker even says the ring is designed to be worn alone with no wedding band on the same finger. If this is not what you or your GF ultimately want, then you should consider it as you buy the e-ring.

And money can matter not just in terms of saving money by buying both at the same time - my FI bought me a lovely designer e-ring that was quite expensive but in our e-ring budget. However, now we are looking at wedding bands and of course the matching designer wedding band looks best and is similarly quite expensive! So we are probably really blowing the wedding band budget. Something to consider.

 

[neatfreak]

ditto what julie said.

 

[risingsun]

Unless she is not planning to wear a wedding ring or will switch her ering to her right hand, I think it makes sense to consider what type of wedding ring will look good and fit well with her ering. There have been many posts about "how do I find a wedding band to go with my ering." Thinking ahead can't hurt. If the designer has a w-ring that matches the ering, so much the better, IMO. This is not the same as the "wedding sets" you sometimes see at maul stores.

 

[kcoursolle]

I would purchase just the single ring for now. However, I would keep in mind certain issues such as, does this ring allow a wedding band to sit flush? Also, will this ring be easy to find bands that match to it? You get the idea....

 

[peridot83]

Many still wear an engagement ring & wedding ring together on the same finger. However, the style right now is to not have matching bands. Even more trendy at the moment is to have a bunch of bands (3 or 4 bands) that you can stack how you want depending on the occassion see Kate Beckinsale's set 1/2 way down the page:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/updated-celebrity-rings.44492/

As others said above, even if you decide not to get a matching set, you still need to at least consider how she wants to wear the e-ring and wedding ring:

Does she want to wear both on one finger, then...

The more traditional way: If you have the stone set "high" there's more space for a band to sit underneath it. Or if not, you can buy a wedding band with a dip, for the stone to sit on top of.

Or don't plan for it at all: and If you want to go non traditional, you can buy a thin band to create a more "stacking" appearance, so that the space between the engagement ring & the wedding ring isn't as obvious. (A la Kate Beckinsale)

 

[MidwestDiamondHunter]

I appreciate the input so far

I guess something else I need to know is if I HAVE to get a wedding ring at all? Is it acceptable to just have the e-ring as the wedding ring also? If I decide that I will eventually get a wedding ring to go with it, I will plan that out ahead of time so I make sure there is a good match.

Thanks

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/6/2007 9:40:10 PM
Author: MidwestDiamondHunter
I appreciate the input so far


I guess something else I need to know is if I HAVE to get a wedding ring at all? Is it acceptable to just have the e-ring as the wedding ring also? If I decide that I will eventually get a wedding ring to go with it, I will plan that out ahead of time so I make sure there is a good match.


Thanks

THAT really depends on her feelings. Women often have very strong feelings about this and want to wear a wedding band too. Others don''t care and would prefer just one ring.

You really should ask her (or her best friend) as they will know what your GF likes best.

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 5/6/2007 9:40:10 PM
Author: MidwestDiamondHunter
I appreciate the input so far

I guess something else I need to know is if I HAVE to get a wedding ring at all? Is it acceptable to just have the e-ring as the wedding ring also? If I decide that I will eventually get a wedding ring to go with it, I will plan that out ahead of time so I make sure there is a good match.

Thanks

Most women still wear a wedding band along with their e-ring. I would say you will most likely have to get a wedding band eventually. However, for now I would focus on the e-ring.

 

[TaraLeigh]

I wished that I had figured out what I wanted for a set before I chose my engagement ring. I didn''t realize till after that I really wanted a band that sat flush against the e ring and could be worn on it''s own - no can do with what I chose. So now I am getting a whole new set (after 15 yrs) but it would have been nice to have gotten it right the first time.

 

[diamondfan]

I think most people go with what they like. Is she into a set, has she said anything? I personally like a nice ring that can stand alone or a nice solitaire, and then you get a wedding band that coordinates but is not matchy matchy...

 

[asscherisme]

Just buy her a ring and let her pick out the wedding ring with you closer to the actual wedding date. I think the days of matchy matchy are over and pretty much anything goes.

 

[Clio]

It''s such a personal choice; I would sound her out on what she prefers.

She may know her own mind, like me (not that I''ve been accused of being rigid or anything, ahem), and have strong ideas about what she wants in a wedding ring (if she wants one at all).

My husband liked the channel set princess band that went with my engagement ring, but I felt very strongly that my wedding ring A) should match his, and B) should be a plain gold band. So, I got a thin pipe cut band that compliments the angularity of my engagement ring.

Eventually, though, I want to get a channel set princess eternity band, which will look smashing with my other 2 rings.

 

[Sparkles22]

I agree it is very personal. If you want to surprise her I would propose with a temporary setting (ie: plain solitare), and let her know it''s just a temp setting and she can pick out the setting (or give you some ideas). I had a really difficult time finding a matching set. Some ladies want flush-fit settings, others one thick all-in one band (no wedding ring), etc. I wanted a separate wedding band to go with my e-ring because I didn''t want people to constantly ask "when''s the wedding" or whatever when I was already married.

 

[fabcrab]

Date: 5/7/2007 4:36:20 PM
Author: Sparkles22
I agree it is very personal. If you want to surprise her I would propose with a temporary setting (ie: plain solitare), and let her know it''s just a temp setting and she can pick out the setting (or give you some ideas). I had a really difficult time finding a matching set. Some ladies want flush-fit settings, others one thick all-in one band (no wedding ring), etc. I wanted a separate wedding band to go with my e-ring because I didn''t want people to constantly ask ''when''s the wedding'' or whatever when I was already married.

I agree with sparkle. The temp setting thing is a great idea if you want the element of surprise and at the same time have her input with the setting/ band.

Based on my experience we bought the wedding bands closer to the wedding date. It gave me more excuse to drag my DH in stores and look at bling online.

 

[FireGoddess]

I''d get the single one. Once you both start talking about bands, you can tell her there is a matching band available if she wants to check it out, but she may want something different.

 

[diamondringlover]

I guess I am old school (just old lol) I prefer the matching set...