Help!

[erinaloha]

So, I was a girl who only wanted a band...low maintenance, biologist, so diamonds weren''t really appropriate. However, my boyfriend said he HAD to have a ring to propose so after much ring shopping, leave it to me to fall in love with a 2ct Tacori!! After I regained my senses and realized we could never afford it, I''m now going back and forth between all the options and...my boyfriend is now considering bands! HELP.

I''m still fine with a band, but if he gets an engagement ring, I''d rather have the tacori than something else, since it''s the only one that made my heart pitter patter. Is that crazy?

So, I can''t decide between 1ct and 1.5ct, white gold or platinum (want whatever will stand up to a tomboy), if I should have one made to look like it or get the real (much more expensive) deal, and if using credit to get a ring is normal or crazy. So, world wide web, I ask your help... I''m going to attach photos so you can help me decide!

(small is 1ct, med is 1.5ct I want pave, but the medium sample didn''t have)

Thanks in advance for your feedback...

 

[tyty333]

If you let people know what your budget is they can help you find a diamond and a setting that might fit in.

I dont know if people use credit to buy an ering. I''m thinking no from what I read. I think people save up
and buy what they can afford with the cash they have but...I really dont know. Plus there are sites that
have trade in options so you can buy a stone now with what you have and then trade up for something
bigger at a later date. Something to keep in mind.

Could you let us know which tacori settings you are looking at?

 

[luv2sparkle]

Wow Erin-that is a tough one. Only you can decide if you feel comfortable with putting this ring on credit. In this economy, when we dont really know how bad
it is going to get, I''d really think that one thru. I do know for me, if I find something I really like and then settle for something else, I am never really satisfied.
Have you considered getting the tacori setting now and maybe putting in a cz until you can afford the real thing. I have noticed they do that alot on overstock.com with tacori settings. They do have a few tacori''s there, probably not the one you want though.

Whiteflash makes great rings and can get pretty close to the tacori. Platinum holds up well for the long run. If you are thinking of temporary setting for a diamond, I''d probably go with white gold. Again, my first choice would be a whiteflash setting. What do you want more a beautiful diamond or the
setting you have your heart set on. Going with the engagement ring is definitely the traditional way to go. Are you a traditional type girl or would you
consider yourself more unconventional?

You could alway call whiteflash and they or any other vendor could give you a ballpark price and tell you how close they could come to giving you the look
you love. That would help in making your decision, I think.

Cant wait to see the photos

 

[DentD]

Depending on the jeweler they may allow you to make your purchase with credit (either open a line of credit through them or on a card of course). My husband did this and it worked out well for him. Personally though I feel like it is better to save your money and buy what you want when you can afford it in cash rather than going into debt. You can always upgrade your ring at a later time when you have the money to get exactly what you want. I would sit down with your fiance and determine what kind of budget you can afford for your ring(s) and then work with a jeweler to get something you want in that price range. You''d be surprised what they can offer!

Good luck and post pics when you get it!

 

[Novopiggy]

You should talk to him to see what is his comfort zone. With this job market and economy it is tough to predict anything. Assuming everything else is going well, personally I still think you should not use credits to buy a ring. You can check with Tacori''s upgrade policy, and see if they let you upgrade to your dream ring later. Perhpas a couple years later you will fall in love with another ring and have to upgrade anyway !

Share with us the ring you are looking at !

 

[erinaloha]

Photo #1 of the 1ct

 

[erinaloha]

photo #2 of the 1.5ct

 

[MikeRato1]

its totally up to you guys, i know i saved up 5k (what i planned on spending on the ring) but when i found out how much everything costs i realized i wasnt even close to what i needed so i ended up putting the difference on a credit card (0% interest) and just paid it off before the interest went up.
but if your a tomboy are u sure you want something with pave?

 

[erinaloha]

Sorry, took me forever to get the photos to upload. The close ups are what my boyfriend did to help me flip back and forth my worry over carot size is that the small will "look" small on my fat finger! I''ve gained a bunch of weight and it sounds stupid, but it seemed too petite for my hand. Someone else on the forum has it (Tacori 2623) and it looks perfect!

 

[erinaloha]

The medium sample they had didn''t have pave, so it''s kind of hard to tell, doesn''t even look the same to me, missing the extra sparkle factor.

So, to answer your questions:
I had NO CLUE how much rings cost, nor did my boyfriend. I figured a total budget of $8000 would be more than enough. I told my jeweler who showed me the "grande" 2623 which for setting alone in platinum was ~$8100. Then she told me white gold was stronger, so I thought SOLD! I''m really tough on my stuff and want whatever will protect the setting and stones the best. So, once I realized a 2ct stone was oh, $20K, I went back for more options, that''s when they told me it comes in petite, small, medium and grande. They had the small and brought in the medium (but with no pave). Now, depending on what we get it could be $10-$15K or possibly more if I get platinum. That''s definately going on credit, which is what I thought people did, but the BF was unsure. We got a quote for a custom to look similar and that''s ~$1500, but I''m nervous that it won''t be the same, you know, butterflies?! I am just really torn up about this. I love my BF, so I could care less about the ring, BUT I also don''t want to spend thousands on a so-so ering, just so he can have one, I''d rather do bands and get the tacori later. I even offered to live with the CZ for a while which he thinks is bonkers.

I just love the setting so much, to me, that''s what you see everyday and since I don''t carry a loop around, who cares about the stone if it''s visibly clean. He also thought a diamond was part of the "promise", so a CZ wouldn''t be legit. God bless him!
Two uneducated and emotional consumers....not good! Thanks for helping me!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Erin, I love the setting! Here''s what I would do: I''d go ahead and get a diamond of whatever size is comfortable and affordable for you. I would mount it in a simple solitaire setting for now, and then get it reset into the Tacori setting later on (maybe for an anniversary gift or something). Definitely let us know what you wind up doing!

 

[erinaloha]

Here''s the other thing, I''m super sentimental and don''t think I could ever upgrade. (He''s my highschool sweetheart and still have my promise ring.) That''s also coloring my decision because I will wear this every day for the rest of my life, so why not get what I want? Flip side then is after engagement, comes wedding, then comes baby, $$$. I swear I''m not pitching a tantrum and saying this ring or nothing, but it seems smarter to me to either 1. get what you want up front or 2. do bands and do the 2623 for a 5,10,15 year anniversary, rather than buying a so-so ring. What do you think??

 

[luv2sparkle]

If you really love this ring, I have two suggestions. First, I also love this ring with the cadillac side stones and I contacted Mulloy''s in Carlsbad and they by far
had the best price. Give them a call. When I was doing my upgrade last year, Whiteflash gave me a quote of around 4700. to make the ring. The trade off is
its not a Tacori but it has the same look at about 1/2 the price. I ended up going with a solitare until I decide for sure if I want to put it in a different setting.

I understand all your reasons and they are all perfectly legitimate. You just have to find the place you feel good about. If you have any doubt about the
security of your jobs, I would go for the band. You will always love it, you will probably always be able to get that popular Tacori. Just because you get it later,
you wont be any less sentimental about it. Just dont get something unless you love it. Dont settle, just maybe delay a little bit so you dont compromise
your financial security later. Thats my 2 cents.

 

[upgrade]

I think it''s beautiful with or without the pave. As someone who''s on my second upgrade, I''d suggest you go for the bands now and keep saving until you can afford the exact e-ring you want- it would make a great anniversary present! My original e-ring wasn''t what I wanted in any way and I was never happy with it (thrilled to be engaged but the ring just wasn''t me). We upgraded the setting a few years ago and that made me somewhat happier but it still nagged at me that the diamond was smaller than what I had always dreamed of... (that sounds so shallow, but I confess, it''s true!) Now we''re saving our pennies so I can finally get ''the one''. If we had done it that way in the first place (waited until we had the money to buy ''the one'' upfront) it would have cost us way less in the long run. It''s your decision, but I wouldn''t be comfortable paying for it on credit. I think it would stress me out every time I looked at the ring to know how much I owed. If you do decide to go the credit route, just be sure to factor in what you''re going to be paying in interest so you''re aware of the total cost. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[caribqueen]

Based on what you said, I vote for the band now, e-ring later. I actually think that a nice sparkly diamond wedding band by itself is very classy and noticeable.

I also think that like a fellow poster said, if you put the e-ring on credit, you''ll be reminded of that every time you look at it. I think no matter what the economy is doing, good or bad, jewelry (even an e-ring) is the last thing that I''d want to put on credit.

I totally understand not wanting to just have a ring to have one, if it''s not really what you want. It''s for that reason that my BF let me in on the ring shopping and we picked out a pave'' platinum setting and I''m getting a modest diamond, but we will upgrade later. I would suggest you do the same thing, but my setting is not nearly as expensive as the Tacori you want.

I''m sure it''ll work out in the end.

 

[motownmama]

If you have Whiteflash do the ring you can probably get what you want now.

 

[rhbgirl24]

Wow... this sounds so much like me.

I am a marine biologist, but new I liked sparkly.....

Have been with the guy 12 years, we''re highschool sweethearts too ( I still wear my promise ring!)

My opinion is make sure you go with what you are comfortable in spending. You dont want to start your life in major loan.... however, I know you said you wouldn''t upgrade, but one of those, even the 1 ct would looking outstanding on your right hand if you do upgrade later on!!

My vote is for the 1ct quality instead of something bigger.... it looks outstanding on your hand!

 

[musey]

You''ve gotten a lot of good advice, so I''ll just answer a couple of your more specific questions.

Call me crazy (they do all the time!) but I actually prefer the 1ct in that setting! The 1.5ct is quite lovely of course, but the slightly more dainty look of the 1ct seems to fit the overall look of the setting better.

Using a credit card is quite common, but not really advisable. I would not risk debt for anything like an ering (houses, okay normal, cars, normal, school, normal... jewelry? no.). Only you can decide whether it''s safe in your situation.

To your white gold vs. platinum question... that''s tough to say. Generally speaking, platinum (and palladium, in the platinum family) is the safer metal to keep your stones secure, where white gold will show fewer scratches over time (in theory, as it is harder). However, white gold will lose metal gradually as it is polished and will have to be re-plated (depending upon your body chemistry and the chemicals you expose it to), where platinum will never lose mass with polishing and is not plated/will not discolor over time.

 

[swingirl]

The Tacori settings are beautiful but I don't think they were made with the tomboy in mind!! I have a setting (not Tacori) with many side stones and I do not wear it 24/7. I take it off and keep it safe when I am engaging in rough activities.

 

[Noahsmom]

As an anthropologist/archaeologist I play in the dirt...a lot. What I do is when I know I am going to be in the field or in the lab I put my ring on a chain and just wear it around my neck. If you feel you still want something on your hand, then a simple band might be the way to go, and maybe wear the wedding band in the field.
I just know I hated the idea of my precious getting dirty.

I have to ask though, do you mind not having Tacori as long as it LOOKS like Tacori? You reasons for not upgrading are very valid. I am sentimental like that too, and I just bought my upgrade stone today. I am turning my original stone into a floating pendant or RHR, I''m not sure which, but either way, it will still be something I wear every day.

I like option 1, it looks gorgeous on your hand. Good Luck!

 

[Miss Fortune]

I say go for the 1.5 with the setting from the 1ct if you can!! it''s gorgeous!

 

[MMT]

I think they are both gorgeous. That said do you really want start out a new marriage with alot of credit card debt. I like the idea of letting Whiteflash make something like it for you.

 

[Carey]

You definitely got a lot of good advice here. I''ve been married almost 32 years to MY high school sweetheart, and we got married young, with no $$ for a diamond - though I wanted one so badly! We thought we''d get one for our 5 year anniversary - but we had a toddler and a baby on the way, and very little money, so.... we thought 10 year anniv.... but... baby #3 was just born, and a new house.....so we thought... 20th anniversary for sure! However, at that point we were putting 2 kids through college... then the 3rd.... so here we are at 32 years - still no ''stone''! Can''t complain too much, we have a very happy life, but just when we thought we could do it the economy tanks and jobs are uncertain...

Bottom line, for my 27th I got a gorgeous band w/5 quarter-ct stones, and I''m happy (enough)! I say, go for the diamond w/pave if that''s what you want and can afford - upgrade - or not - later!

 

[BlackIsland]

You mentioned your concern with the size of your fingers. I wanted to show you my Tacori 2623, on size 7.5 fingers. The centre stone is 1.38.

BI

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I have not read the posts so I may be completely off track but I really like the idea of a 5-stone on an eternity band [just think of all those stones and their arrows and sparkles] if somebody is not too keen on a solitaire. I think that it could be a very classy solution, especially where you probably live in a lab. I know that I would want something that I could wear every day as an e-ring.

 

[MishB]

I was also going to suggest looking at a 5 stone band. I didn''t want a traditional engagement ring, so I just wear a 5 stone band, which is my wedding ring. Mine is antique, but I still wear it everywhere all the time, skiing, diving etc. A modern one would be very tough and stand up to a lot of wear.

 

[iheartscience]

I think you should get the biggest diamond you can afford right now in a simple (cheap) setting, and then upgrade to the Tacori setting later.

But if you just HAVE to have the Tacori setting now I would get it in white gold (white gold should be cheaper than platinum) and try to put it on a 0% interest credit card and pay it off before the interest rate goes up.

 

[packrat]

Myself, I''d get whatever stone you can afford now, in a less expensive setting, and then save up a for your dream setting. Set up a special ring account and put money into it every week. That''s what I''m going to end up doing for my new set. I know that if I say "When we have the money we''re allowing me X amount of dollars for my new set", when we do finally have the money, I''ll find something else to put it towards b/c I''ll feel bad about spending money on myself. Whereas if I have a specific account set up for ME, I can squirrel money away in it and get excited over the prospect of what I''m going to get. Sounds reasonable in theory anyway!