HELP ME!!!

[donnie123454]

My Name is Donnie,

I want to ask my girlfriend to marry me.

I do not know anything about jewlrey.

I do not even know how or where I will ask her.

Help me please, anyone!

Donnie

 

[mimzy]

haha nice

someone is bound to ask you, so it might as well be me -

-do you know what kind of diamond shape and/or setting your girlfriend prefers?
and
-what kind of budget do you have? (not to be rude!)

 

[sera]

There are a LOT of tutorials and articles on the site that I have found extremely helpful! You could start reading and learning about diamonds so that you get her a very well cut diamond.

My future fiance jokes with me about a nearby jewelry store and says, "I'll bet I could get you a 2 carat diamond there for under $2,000," and I reply, "I'll bet you could, but you better not!" The cut is the most important "C" in choosing a diamond, so I would suggest learn the basics here and ask questions (lots of experts here!) on what you specifically need help on.

Do you have any idea what her preference is- what shape of diamond and type of settings she likes?

ETA: The vendors here offer some excellent diamonds. You could view some examples of them on their site and on the "Show me the ring" thread where members here post pictures of their rings." It seems choosing an ACA diamond from Whiteflash or a hand selected diamond from Good Old Gold or Engagement Rings Direct is an excellent choice... they could find you a gorgeous diamond as they have for many on this site.

 

[angeline]

Hi Donnie, don''t panic! First you need to set a realistic budget. Then as MImzy also suggested try to find out what shape stone she likes. Maybe can you ask her friends or family? or just ask her? unless you want it to be a complete surprise.

If she likes rounds that makes it a lot easier. Then you can read the many tutorials available, and come here to get great advice on finding the best stone at the best price.

Good luck!

 

[Kaleigh]

What is you budget??
What is her taste in jewelry, what does she wear...

Read the tutorials here first. If you can give us some more details that would help us help you.

 

[donnie123454]

I know she likes big stones. She has long fingers and they are very thin, so I imagine a big stone looks good. Right? She really like saphires and the color pink.
I will pay around ten for a ring for her, my buddy told me that ten is about average for a ring. Is that a good price?
How do I find out what she wants without giving it away?
I appreciate your help.

 

[Kaleigh]

I''d ask her best friend, or her sister if she has one. Are any of her friends engaged, what has she said about their rings, etc.. Time to pay attention to all these details, they''ll come in handy for ya!!

 

[mimzy]

Date: 8/14/2007 6:38:05 PM
Author: donnie123454
I know she likes big stones. She has long fingers and they are very thin, so I imagine a big stone looks good. Right? She really like saphires and the color pink.

I will pay around ten for a ring for her, my buddy told me that ten is about average for a ring. Is that a good price?

How do I find out what she wants without giving it away?

I appreciate your help.

first of all, i would say that a good budget is whatever you can afford and feel comfortable spending. 10k is a lot more than a lot of people spend, and some people spend more than that, so it all depends on your situation.

as for the type of ring she would like, take a look at her style in other areas of her life like her clothing and furniture/decor. If she prefers sleek,contemporary things then maybe consider something like a tension or bezel set ring, whereas if she likes antique-y looking pieces you should maybe look at halos or engraved rings. another idea is to ask her what she thinks of her friend''s rings to get an idea of what she likes, dislikes, or is so-so about (if you do this though make sure to have an opinion yourself in case she asks why you are asking!).

as for her (coveted) long, skinny fingers, maybe consider a rectangle cut which would be flattering. Emerald cuts and radiant cuts are both good options (for a more elegant or sparkly aesthetic, respectively). unless of course you know she really wants a traditional round brilliant stone. good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Donnie, if you can''t find out what she likes, then you can always get an inexpensive tiffany setting for about $200 and let her choose a setting later. You could put about $8000 into the stone and then reserve $2000 or so for the setting. I agree with those who say to ask her best friend, but be aware that best friends rarely keep secrets from their best friend. Has she ever commented on rings she likes? Do you know what kind of diamonds her friends wear? In my opinion, it is hard to go wrong with an ideal cut round stone in a white gold tiffany setting, and then she can decide if she wants to keep that setting or get another. I''d look for about a G or H color VS2 diamond that is ideal cut. I recommend Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash for their excellent in-house diamond selections with lots of pictures and other information.

As far as the proposal goes, I think most girls want it to be special, but they''d rather have the ring sooner than waiting for some future big occasion. You can read about proposal ideas on one of these forums, but remember that it doesn''t have to be elaborate. A romantic dinner or weekend away can be very nice.

 

[donnie123454]

Ok, I aksed her best friend and she told me that my girlfriend would like a cushion or round cut diamond. I know she likes really sparkly jewrey, all of her rings have a lot of bling. I went onto Blue Nile and read their report on how to determine what kind of diamond I want. For the cut I want anywhere from Ideal to Good. For the color I want anywhere from D-G. For the clarity I want anywhere from FL to VS2. For the size of the center stone I want from 1 to 11/2 carats. I do not know what to do about the setting. I want to get a unique setting for the ring, possibly a specialty store where I would have the option to even customize the band. I do not know any stores, suggestions?

Donnie

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/15/2007 6:48:00 PM
Author: donnie123454
Ok, I aksed her best friend and she told me that my girlfriend would like a cushion or round cut diamond. I know she likes really sparkly jewrey, all of her rings have a lot of bling. I went onto Blue Nile and read their report on how to determine what kind of diamond I want. For the cut I want anywhere from Ideal to Good. For the color I want anywhere from D-G. For the clarity I want anywhere from FL to VS2. For the size of the center stone I want from 1 to 11/2 carats. I do not know what to do about the setting. I want to get a unique setting for the ring, possibly a specialty store where I would have the option to even customize the band. I do not know any stores, suggestions?

Donnie

Hi Donnie,

Can I offer a bit of advice?

First, if she likes really sparkly, I'd go with a round. A cushion does sparkle, but I think a round is maybe a better bet.

Secondly, color in a well cut round will not show as much, so in the range you're looking, I'd say G,H would be very safe. Clarity, VS2, SI1 is all you need.

The rest is overkill.

Are you wanting to but the stone locally? or online?

 

[Pandora II]

As a coloured stone e-ring owner myself, if she loves pink, come on over to the Coloured Stones section and see what gorgeous things we have there.

For $10k you could get an amazing pink sapphire or spinel and do an awesome setting with diamond sidestones, or pave or halo. Or go for a diamond centrestone with pink sides stones.

The english Royal family nearly always have coloured e-rings and they are very popular here in Europe.

You will also get more bling for you $$$!

Check out the Natural Sapphire Company or Cherrypicked.com for some stones to die for.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I''d also go for a round, and you only want ideal cut. Focus on G-H color and around VS2. Look at the tutorial on the Good Old Gold site to better understand color and clarity.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/

I did a search on this site and here are examples of excellent stones in your price range (leaving a couple thousand for the setting):

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3366/

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-273568.htm (take off 5% for wire/pricescope discount)

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-273563.htm (-5%/ as you can see, you''ll lose some size if you decide to go to a G color)

 

[donnie123454]

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions, however I would like to go to a store and actually see what I am buying before I purchase it. I want to get my diamond and ring together at the same store. I was thinking that she loves hearts, she has heart earings, heart necklaces, heart rings all kinds of heart stuff, maybe I could get a ring that has some metal work in the shape of a heart on the band or something. I would imagine you would have to go to a specialty jewlrey store for something like that. I have never bought her jewles and so I want this ring to be unique and very special. Any suggestions?
Donnie

 

[Ellen]

Donnie, unless you''re located by one of the vendors, I wouldn''t know who to direct you to. We don''t know where you live, and even if we did, not sure how much it would help, unless someone on here just happened to be familiar with that town.

You might ask people you know who have nice jewelry where they got it...

 

[ajdubya126]

I would suggest asking her friend before getting anything with hearts in it. She may like to wear heart jewelry, but an engagement ring is quite different. She may not want something as cutesy.

 

[havernell]

These days, more and more guys are having their girfriends pick out the diamond and setting with them just to make sure the ring is something the girl really likes (and will want to wear). If you aren''t sure what your girlfriend would prefer in terms of an engagement ring, this may be something for you to consider.

This is what my (now) fiance and I did- we picked out the diamond and setting together last November. Then, the ring went into the safety deposit box at the bank. I didn''t know when, where, or how he woud propose, so the proposal itself (when it happened in March) was a TOTAL surprise to me. For me, knowing what the ring looked like already didn''t detract from the moment at all. So, if you are worried that you don''t know what she wants in a ring, you could go that route.

Or, if you don''t want her to see a ring before the proposal, you coud propose with a fake ring (like a ring-pop or something) and tell her you wanted to wait to pick out the ring together. Then, the next day after you propose, you start shopping together!

I know this idea isn''t for everyone, but it does ensure that your girfriend will 100% love the ring.

As for the hearts on the engagement ring, I personally wouldn''t go that route. As she gets older, she may come to think that hearts look to "young" for her. I would stick with something more plain and classic if you are going to pick out the setting yourself. That way, the ring will never look dated or "too young" for your girlfriend. Now, if you shop together with her and she picks out a heart setting, then go for it.

Good luck!

 

[lizardofaz]

Date: 8/16/2007 6:02:15 PM
Author: ajdubya126
I would suggest asking her friend before getting anything with hearts in it. She may like to wear heart jewelry, but an engagement ring is quite different. She may not want something as cutesy.

Ditto this! I LOVE LOVE LOVE all things heart-shaped!

My birthday is even on Valentine''s Day.... but I''d NEVER want a heart shaped engagement ring...

 

[lizardofaz]

Date: 8/16/2007 9:56:03 PM
Author: lizardofaz

Date: 8/16/2007 6:02:15 PM
Author: ajdubya126
I would suggest asking her friend before getting anything with hearts in it. She may like to wear heart jewelry, but an engagement ring is quite different. She may not want something as cutesy.

Ditto this! I LOVE LOVE LOVE all things heart-shaped!

My birthday is even on Valentine''s Day.... but I''d NEVER want a heart shaped engagement ring...

ETA: I meant heart-shaped diamond (or actually anything with frilly heart doo-dads on it!)