Have you upgraded?

[MichelleCarmen]

Just curious. . .who has upgraded their eng/wedding ring(s)?

What I'm wondering is how old were you when you got your first diamond ring, how big was it and was it certified and what were the specs and all that. . .

Then, when you upgraded, how old were you, how big was your second ring, and what were all the details on this ring?

PLUS, last but not least, what did you do with the first stone you had?

Thanks for sharing.

Michelle

 

[winyan]

LOL...well...

first ring was a mall jewelry typical small set...yg, .24 diamond, no specs, with an interlocking .1 diamond set wedding band, that fit into the oval created by a swirl in the e-ring band. A very pretty, dainty set...and now almost 30 years old.

I upgraded just this past year, to a .97 OMC plat, w tapered baguettes, grand total of 1.16, with an antique engraved thin plat wedding band. Approximate age of this set? About 104?

*giggle*

win

PS Later this year I bought a big 'un for myself...not an upgrade, just a 'had to have'.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Okay, where can I see photos of all your stuff? You mentioned on another thread somewhere about something that alluded to you already having posted pictures of all your goodies.

I'd love to see your OMC and the new ring.

Michelle

 

[pinkangel]

Got married with a plain gold band. We didn't have bunches of money, and other things were more important at the time, tho' I always wanted a great big rock.

Our circumstances improved, and even tho' I never said anything to DH, I still wanted a big rock. Three years after we married, on my birthday, I got a call from a jewelry store in town, that they had something there I needed to pick up. I called DH from work, and asked him about it, and he just laughed and said we'd stop by there on our way out to my birthday dinner.

Imagine my suprise and delight to find a 2.47 J VS2 waiting for me! This was back before I knew anything about cut...wish DH had known then what I know now!! This is one of those 60/60 stones that was popular for a while. It's a beautiful stone and I love it, but it dosen't hold a candle to the H & A stones I've seen. It does face up pretty white, at least to me, but I've never been one who was as sensitive to color as some are. Last year I finally replaced the "temporary" setting of a 6 prong yellow gold tiffany type that went with my plain gold band, with the 6 prong stuller Solstice comfort fit, with matching band in platinum.

This year is our 10th aniversary.....I'd love to upgrade to an H & A stone, even if it was smaller!

One can always dream, huh?

 

[winyan]

Michelle

I know the OMC is posted here somewhere...I'll see if I can find it and post a link...the other hasn't been photographed yet. The OMC, I got when I was lucky enough to have access to a scanner.

win

 

[diamondlil]

Well, how far back shall I go? Okay, when I was very, very young (19), I got engaged to my high school sweetheart with a .50 ct heart shaped diamond, VS2, G color (not certified). Very *cute* ring, plain yellow gold band. Thank goodness that did not work out and we broke up. I kept the ring -- heehee.

I had it reset into a simple pendant which I hardly wore.




A few years later, I got engaged to Mr. Diamondlil with about a .80 ct marquise diamond, VS2, F-G color (not certified). It was a simple yellow gold band with a baguette on either side.




For our 7th wedding anniversary, I upgraded at the same jeweler we purchased the ring from. I actually traded in that little heart diamond, plus my marquise (and a chunk of money) and got a 2 ct, deeply cut, SI1, H color marquise (still no certification). It was set in the same gold band with the baguettes.




For our 17th wedding anniversary last year, I wanted a new diamond. A friend of mine, who admired my marquise, was interested in buying it (for a good deal of course). When I found my 2.07 ct pear, SI2, E color, (certified EGL-Los Angeles), I sold her my marquise. I had it set it in a simple cathedral setting so that I could have it reset at a later time. I was so overwhelmed with the newer, nicer diamond that I could not even think about the settings at that time.




Here I am less than a year later, after finding PS and learning sooooo much about diamonds, I'm deciding whether to keep my pear and have a new e-ring setting and coordinating wedding band made or to sell the pear and look for a super ideal RB. I'll be 40 in a few months!!!! I have never owned a round diamond ring, but after learning about them, they are now a fascination to me. My husband says I'm becoming a purist. Unfortunately, I do not have the pocketbook to afford more than one big diamond. Otherwise, I'd have it made into a pendant and get my RB. Anyone interested in buying a pear? PM me and we'll talk.

Diamondlil

 

[Mara]

Heee Heee I have not been upgraded yet but I will!

We WILL keep this first stone, 99% sure of it. Greg loves this original stone and strongly feels that he'd rather me keep it for a pendant or something than sell it. So who knows when I will be able to wiggle an upgrade into the budget since we'd be starting from scratch on the $$ since we would not have any trade-in value, but today when I gave him his ACA...he did ask me how much something like that would cost in my e-ring size. So, the wheels are already turning in his mind. Now if only WF can come up with something like a 1.35c H SI2 ACA....I can do without a new car for another few years...priorities!

 

[PMR]

My first diamond engagement ring was 1/2 carat. When I was 33 years old, I traded that stone in and got a 1.91 ct. It did not have specs. I got it from the National Gem show. I recently sold that ring to a dealer on-line. Very happy with the transaction but found out the ring was not the quality I thought it was. Very depressing. I wasn't out any money though because I did not pay much for it at the gem show and basically got the same price for it. I just sold it last week and I am now in the market for my new 2 ct. G color diamond. I will buy my next diamond on-line and not at the show. Vendors at the show put too much pressure on you and don't have sarin reports on their stones. My new stone will be my 40th that will be in June but I will have it before then. My next ring will be certified and with a sarin. PMR

 

[ringbling17]

Last year in March, I got a 1.51 F VVS2 ACA from Whiteflash.
Unfortunately, I also purchased a 8 mm (2 carat) Van Graff simulant as a fun ring about a week prior to receiving the real diamond. I wore the VG and I guess I got used to the size, so that when the real ACA came, it looked considerably smaller to me.

Don't get me wrong, the ACA was definitely a beautiful stone, incomparable to the sim, but for some reason, it just didn't have that WOW effect that I got when I wore the VG. When I wore the 1.51, no one made any comments, but when I wore the VG, people would stop me and ask to see my ring.
I found that I was wearing my VG more than my real diamond!

So, I gave my mom the VG thinking that if I didn't have a 2 carat sim, I wouldn't want a 2 carat diamond.

Was I wrong.
Anyway, in May, my husband told me that he would be receiving a retro check from work, and said that I could do whatever I wanted with the money.
I decided to put half of the money in savings and to use the rest of the money to upgrade the diamond. I really just wanted a 1.75-1.8 carat diamond, but there was nothing available at that time from Whiteflash. They had three 2 carat diamonds at that time- a D SI1, a G VS1 and a F VS1.
I knew that I didn't want an SI1, so I was left with the G and the F.
I decided to go with the G, mostly because I am a clarity snob and the plot on the G was so clear compared to the F. There is literally one tiny pinpoint on it (See attached picture). Also, Whiteflash gave me an awesome price on the diamond, and I knew that if I received it and I saw a hint of color, I would just get the F.
So, I sent the 1.51 back to them in June and got the 2.03 in August.
So, I now have a 2.03 G VS1 ACA.
So, I upgraded once, in the span of three months, and I was 29 when I did it.
I do have two other diamonds, that I purchased myself. One of them is .65 H VS2, which I placed in the dia. by the yard pendant ( I was 21 when I bought it) and the other one is an OMC .75 ct. I VS2/SI1 still set in an engagement ring setting with a matching band ( I was 23 or 24 when I bought it).

Hope this answers all your questions.

 

[pinkangel]

Wow, Kayla, that sounds like one heck of a rock.

I keep thinking about upgrading again myself to a better cut stone. I currently have a 2.47, but have thought about going smaller to get the better cut. The only thing is, like you, I've grown used to the size, and wonder if I would end up being disappointed. I've also considered talking to Eightstar about a possible re-cut.

Are there pictures posted somewhere of the ring? I'd love to see it!

 

[ringbling17]

Hi Pinkangel,
Here is a picture of the ring.

 

[pinkangel]

That's incredible! And I love the simplicity of the channel set bane with it.

Thanks for the pic. wow!!!

 

[ringbling17]

Sorry, can't help myself.

Here is one more!

 

[pinkangel]

Hey, if it were mine, I wouldn't be able to help myself either. I also LOVE the double prongs. I think that look is awesome.

Beautiful, beautiful ring.

 

[Daisyma02]

I started out wil a huge rock that was .12 carats (lol I was 18 years old) It is a excellent diamond but darn is that thing small when I look at it now. I then went to a 1.62 round which I loved until I found a 2.01 Princess that I just had to have. I love my Princess and get tons of comments but really miss my round. I found out just how much I love rounds and that is why I am now once again looking to buy a 2.16 round. I just love the brilliance of a round. I have also swithed from yellow gold to white gold. As far as my origianl set goes..I would never ever part with that for nothing it is to near and dear to my heart. I keep it in my Jewelery box on my dresser.

 

[Skyblue]

I have been "trying" to upgrade for about 1 1/2 years. I say trying because I did not realize how sentimental I am. (or maybe I am on the endless quest ... ).

Even though, my DH gave me the $$ a lonnggg time ago for a new stone/ring, I cannot make up my mind or take the plunge. The problem is that my current ring is about 1 carat (no cert, no info) in a setting I really like which my DH picked out by himself. Unfortuately, the center stone could be better. I now would like a 2 carat stone but I do not think the ring will accommodate that large of an upgrade. I was looking at new settings but I can't decide between a replacement ring, a 3 stone ring, a new ring AND replace the original 1 carat stone. This may sound really silly but I feel like I need to make sure to show my original ring some love.

So hear I sit still having done nothing.

Oh BTW, I have been married 6 years in May and I am 37.

Are you thinking of upgrading?

 

[hoorray]

I just upgraded my e-ring stone after 18 years. My first stone was 1.25ct, vvs2, K/L color (they lied to us, but it was in yellow gold, so the color didn't show), and completely unknown cut. Certs weren't common back then -- I'm not sure they were even doing them yet.

I'm on my 4th setting. We were novices in the buying process, and I beat the first 2 up pretty badly, as they were soft 18k yellow gold. I still have my original setting without the center stone and missing one prong -- it's just sentimental now. Once I got smarter about stones, I really wanted to upgrade the cut and color of mine so that I could put it into platinum. Size was a bonus. So, this past summer I put my original stone into a pendant, and am sporting a 2.5ct, AGS0, H&A RB in a simple solitare that I wear with an anniversary band, both in platinum. Hubby told me this was my "last upgrade", so to make sure to get it right!

(He doesn't quite understand this desire to change periodically, but he tolerates it.) That was a fun project.

I don't plan to change this stone out again, but I may rotate into a different setting at some point in the not too near future. (Change is the spice of life!) I'd love to have a Mark Morrell.....

 

[Patty]

Michelle, I told my story when I first joined this forum, but yes, I've upgraded my engagement diamond. We first chose a 5/8 carat stone. No certificate. I don't even know the exact weight much less the specs on it. That night we discovered a visible inclusion. The next day my hubby took it back and the jeweler replaced it with a new diamond. I thought the new diamond looked smaller but I wasn't sure. I later realized that the new diamond was a deep cut. It had the "nail head" dark circle effect in the center of it. That diamond bothered me and I never liked it. After 10 years I upgraded to a .93 diamond. I traded the old diamond in. This was with a new jeweler. It turns out that my diamond WAS smaller than the original 5/8 carat. It weighed 54 points. This on top of being a deep cut meant that I was right when I thought it looked smaller. I never regretted trading that stone in for a larger one. I never felt like it was "my" diamond.

I'd like to upgrade my .93 stone to a better quality diamond some day. I just got my new anniversary ring, though, so that upgrade will be a while. We've told our older daughter that she can have the .93 diamond when she gets engaged, so when that time comes, I'll replace it with a sim until we can get a new diamond.

 

[sharonzhere]

What I'm wondering is how old were you when you got your first diamond ring, how big was it and was it certified and what were the specs and all that. . .

I was 23 when I got my first diamond ring (my engagement ring). It was .49 carat (I think), not certified, and the specs probably sucked - I honestly couldn't tell you. It is a yellow cloudy diamond but it is beautiful to ME. We were both students when we bought it.

Then, when you upgraded, how old were you, how big was your second ring, and what were all the details on this ring?

I was 34 when I upgraded and it was just a few weeks ago. This ring is 1.08 carat (the center stone) and it is certified, both by the store and GIA. It is VVS1 and E color. Almost 11 years is worth the wait! If you go to my profile you can find my "story" on how we came about deciding to buy this diamond.

PLUS, last but not least, what did you do with the first stone you had? I haven't done it yet but I am going to put it into a pendant so that I can wear it close to my heart.

 

[PlatinumDiamond]

I can't say I ever upgraded an e-ring being I never had one to begin with

, but I did upgrade my titanium ball stud post earring to a .56 carat VS2 D diamond earring Bezel set in 950 Platinum. It has a lab certificate where as my titanium ball post earring did not

 

[toleong]

I was 21 when I first got my engagement ring. I picked out the ring and paid for half of it, since he was overseas. It is 1.41 rb with a GIA cert (E, VVS1).

I wish that I went with something closer to 2 carats back then. Now I am wanting an upgrade. I only have to wait 3 more years until my 10th anniversary.

After seeing everybody's rings on Pricescope I think that something around 2.75 would be perfect for me.

Hopefully shrinkage will not set in...

 

[Mara]

Shrinkage always sets in...hee hee.




Go for 3c just in case.