How much should I spend on an engagement diamond?

[hearts-arrows_girl]

I'm aware that this is a stupid question and that it warrants responses such as: how much can you afford, how much do you want to show your love etc. however, it'd be nice to get a rough estimate of how much people normally spend.

I understand that everyone's circumstances are different. I'm employed, earning a modest salary (not a super high salary tbh). I'd obviously love to be able to spend tens of thousands but realistically I don't think that's possible.

My question has mainly come from discussing how much to spend with my partner. She'd obviously love a huge rock, and I'd love to give her one, but at what point am I just spending to show off? I'd like to get something above average but I'd rather not keep pushing the budget higher and higher because I'm imagining that that's what people *should* spend.

How much is an average amount to spend on a diamond for an engagement ring?

$4k? $6k? $8k? $12k $More?

I think a good general start for So Cal would be $8,000 - $12,000, don't know where you live. I had a 1.23 RB and it was considered above average, so I think that is a nice size for a stone that has a little extra size. It cost about $11,000 in a B/M, so probably about $8,000 online. It wasn't an Ideal, but it was gorgeous. (Of course it depends on many different circumstances, what you can afford, where you live, etc, but that is what I think is a good budget. My husband and I started out too low, $3,200, for stone and ring, because we had no idea what diamonds cost, and we wasted a lot of good time trading up to what he thought was a good size for us.)

I am in love with Kenny's 1.34 Octavia, now THAT stone really makes a statment!

 

[lereveur]

I was on the same search and asked myself the very same questions.
I started out all over the place, but felt comfortable in the $7-8000 price range. I could have went all out, but then I'd have no savings. When I started searching for diamonds, I knew I wanted to find a 1ct because that's the "ideal". With the help direction of pricescopers I found exactly what I wanted and more
I would have been so disappointed if I just walked in to a store and bought a ring without knowing about pricescope. I learned a great deal.

 

[SB621]

My DH and I got engaged when we were fresh out of college and in serious dept up to our eyeballs. As a result I got a simple Natalie K setting with a .76ct RB. A little over 3 years later I upgraded to a 2.04ct RB. And 2 years after that I upgraded my setting to a VC Emilya halo. I guess the point I'm trying to make is don't go bankrupt on this. Find a store that has a great upgrade policey if you or your lady might want to upgrade later on in life. None of my friends have over a 1ct, however none of them are a jewerly freaks like me, so expectations are different. For now I would follow the great advise given in this thread but just keep in mind about an upgrade policy later on down the road if you want to have that on the back burner.

EDIT: For all the spelling and grammer errors!!!!!!! I "think" type all the time!

 

[Enerchi]

[

I am in love with Kenny's 1.34 Octavia, now THAT stone really makes a statment!

Yup!!! kenny has a killer stone - that is a diamond that will make a statement!!!

 

[rainydaze]

to answer your original question, whatever you can comfortably afford. knowing what her social circle wears can be helpful to guage where you might like to aim for, however if you work at mcdonald's and all her friend's hubbies are hedge fund managers, well, you're aim will be misguided! a bit dramatic, but you get my point. going for the 1ct mark is great, and it sounds like that can be achieved comfortably for you (of course the pricing for 1ct can vary depending upon the cut quality, color and clarity).

as for your diamond search, you have been given some awesome options. one more thing to consider is the solasfera princess - it takes the light performance of an AGS ideal cut princess to the next level. i haven't seen them in person, but if i were in the market for a princess i'd want to check them out. jon at good old gold carries them, and he has done a lot of videos about diamonds and diamond education. he posts here as well. here are some videos he has done showing the solasfera princess in comparison to others:

first one compares to an ideal princess, second to regular princess i think:
http://vimeo.com/11694971
http://vimeo.com/10464275

a video comparing the solasfera princess cut with POH (princess of hearts)
http://vimeo.com/20616847

ooo, jubilee, octogon and solasfera comparison:
http://vimeo.com/15080554

here are two solasfera princesses at GOG. to see the prince, hit the 'reserve' button and they will go into a cart showing the price. then you just hit the little trash can to remove it.

1.03 G/VS1 $7821 http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8962/
.84 G/VS1 $4238 http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9231/

one last thing - my gut reaction was also to be careful of getting a ring that is too similar to her sister's - shape, size, style. if the setting style is a totally different style than her sister's, that's the best case scenario. if the setting styles are similar, then if the size of the diamond is different enough in combo with cut quality (i.e. she has a regular princess and you go with a solasfera or even outstanding ideal like the infinity that was posted) it will help, but i'm thinking under a carat or just at a carat vs. her 1.2 to make that work. you also might want to be mindful of 'one-upping' her too, i.e, if you go bigger and/or better (better cut quality) it could look like your intention was to out-do her sister which *could* create some negative karma. everyone is different of course, personally my sister/friend could get an exact copy of my ring and it just wouldn't faze me, but i think i'm an odd one that way. only you and your SO know if having a similar ring to her sister's could be a potential problem or not. if in doubt, a square shape in a different cut style (such as the POH or the quadex) is a great suggestion!

good luck in your quest, i can't wait to see what you wind up with!

 

[DaveMutant]

Wow, I'm blown away with how helpful this thread has been. I'm a new user around here and have never bought a diamond before, so it's very much appreciated.

I've got lots of options to consider now. Those fancy cuts such as the Quadex, they sound like they might not be available to view in a store? I think we'd both like to have a look to get an idea in person.

We're in Canada (East Coast) and are planning a visit to Toronto in the summer so we can explore some options there.

We were pretty set on the princess cut, but all of these additional cuts have given us food for thought. My girlfriend also just mentioned that she likes the Emerald cut, though I'm not too sure about this as it looks too 'glassy' for my tastes. Although, I guess her opinion counts for more than mine

 

[MissGotRocks]

Yes, her opinion weighs heavily but her choice may change several times before she finds the stone she loves. Sounds like you have time to do some shopping and comparing and that is the best way to make a decision about what she really wants. They are all beautiful stones in their own right - can't be a wrong choice among them!

 

[Christina...]

Wow, I'm blown away with how helpful this thread has been. I'm a new user around here and have never bought a diamond before, so it's very much appreciated.

I've got lots of options to consider now. Those fancy cuts such as the Quadex, they sound like they might not be available to view in a store? I think we'd both like to have a look to get an idea in person.

We're in Canada (East Coast) and are planning a visit to Toronto in the summer so we can explore some options there.

We were pretty set on the princess cut, but all of these additional cuts have given us food for thought. My girlfriend also just mentioned that she likes the Emerald cut, though I'm not too sure about this as it looks too 'glassy' for my tastes. Although, I guess her opinion counts for more than mine

Yeah, Unfortunately the branded stones that I linked earlier in the thread are only available through the vendors listed. The good news is though, that if you wanted to see one of these beauties in person is that you could order a small stone and ship it back after you've had time to evaluate it, all of the PS vendors have excellent return policies.

I just thought that I would mention that the Octavia is a square step cut similar to the emerald cut but square instead of rectangular. So it resembles more of an asscher cut which is just a square step cut, but it's cut differently to give it much better light performance. A lot of people think that step cuts look glassy, but if you find a great one, they have amazing big bold flashes of color that are difficult to get in other cuts except for some of the old antique cuts. It may be a nice compromise for both you, if she likes a step cut and you like a ball of light than the Octavia is amazing. I think others have posted the links to Kennys, he has both a beautiful asscher and an octavia and has gorgeous pics of both, and GOG does a great job in their video of explaining the differences of the two cuts. That said, Emerald cuts are very graceful, elegant and timeless. There is an EC thread around here to you may like to see, I'll find it for you,

 

[Christina...]

Wow, I'm blown away with how helpful this thread has been. I'm a new user around here and have never bought a diamond before, so it's very much appreciated.

I've got lots of options to consider now. Those fancy cuts such as the Quadex, they sound like they might not be available to view in a store? I think we'd both like to have a look to get an idea in person.

We're in Canada (East Coast) and are planning a visit to Toronto in the summer so we can explore some options there.

We were pretty set on the princess cut, but all of these additional cuts have given us food for thought. My girlfriend also just mentioned that she likes the Emerald cut, though I'm not too sure about this as it looks too 'glassy' for my tastes. Although, I guess her opinion counts for more than mine

I have family in Maine on the New Brunswick border, it's beautiful up there.

 

[Smith1940]

Just wanted to chime in about the social circle - I wouldn't even think that should be a factor in your decision. You should choose what's right for the two of you. For example, maybe your social circle all only plans two kids, and you want to have four. Then you'd want to spend less. It's a simplistic example but it demonstrates that you are individuals and the crowd around you shouldn't be a factor in these very personal decisions, in my opinion. I wouldn't feel pressured to be like them in terms of stone size - I mean, who's to say that what they pick, in terms of size, is a better idea than what you pick? You could be a trendsetter!

But then, bear in mind that this comes from someone who's always found social mores to be somewhat claustrophobic and I operate very independently of all that. (I'm the type that wants to horrify "the social circle" by being different from them!) And we practise what we preach: my engagement ring is only an I-colour and just 0.70 in size, (although it is a Hearts on Fire) but my husband is a columnist on the New York Times and many of his friends are multi-millionaires - hedge fund managers, entrepreneurs, and politicians. One of our friends is the grandson of the person who founded one of America's largest health insurers, so we are surrounded by quite a bit of money. I seriously don't think anyone likes us any the less because my ring is small, by American standards, and only cost $4000. That was a huge amount to spend on a ring by UK standards, in 2005! (We are UK people but moved here, so the ring was bought here.)

Anyway, just wanted to give you another perspective on that factor of the decision.

 

[webdiva]

Wow, I'm blown away with how helpful this thread has been. I'm a new user around here and have never bought a diamond before, so it's very much appreciated.

I've got lots of options to consider now. Those fancy cuts such as the Quadex, they sound like they might not be available to view in a store? I think we'd both like to have a look to get an idea in person.

We're in Canada (East Coast) and are planning a visit to Toronto in the summer so we can explore some options there.

We were pretty set on the princess cut, but all of these additional cuts have given us food for thought. My girlfriend also just mentioned that she likes the Emerald cut, though I'm not too sure about this as it looks too 'glassy' for my tastes. Although, I guess her opinion counts for more than mine

Post up a topic asking "H&A Squares/POH in Toronto area?" as the subject line before you go. We have a quite a few GTA (greater toronto area) folks on the board. Honestly, there is not as much choice in Canada and if you plan to view more options as the main purpose of the trip, I'd head to NY instead to see ID Jewelry, Good Old Gold, etc. Plus, prices are better in the US. You can then try on a whole bunch in person!

 

[Enerchi]

We're in Canada (East Coast) and are planning a visit to Toronto in the summer so we can explore some options there.

Honestly, there is not as much choice in Canada and if you plan to view more options as the main purpose of the trip, I'd head to NY instead to see ID Jewelry, Good Old Gold, etc. Plus, prices are better in the US. You can then try on a whole bunch in person!

I second this suggestion. If the purpose is to come to Toronto just for jewelry, not that there aren't options there, but you would be better served to head to NYC for better results.

 

[DaveMutant]

We're in Canada (East Coast) and are planning a visit to Toronto in the summer so we can explore some options there.

Honestly, there is not as much choice in Canada and if you plan to view more options as the main purpose of the trip, I'd head to NY instead to see ID Jewelry, Good Old Gold, etc. Plus, prices are better in the US. You can then try on a whole bunch in person!

I second this suggestion. If the purpose is to come to Toronto just for jewelry, not that there aren't options there, but you would be better served to head to NYC for better results.

We were planning a trip to Toronto regardless, but now we might consider diverting to NY at least to stop and look at the diamonds. One major concern is paying double taxes i.e. Paying sales tax in NY and import tax at the border. Actually that worry alone might be enough to put me off.

 

[Christina...]

We're in Canada (East Coast) and are planning a visit to Toronto in the summer so we can explore some options there.

Honestly, there is not as much choice in Canada and if you plan to view more options as the main purpose of the trip, I'd head to NY instead to see ID Jewelry, Good Old Gold, etc. Plus, prices are better in the US. You can then try on a whole bunch in person!

I second this suggestion. If the purpose is to come to Toronto just for jewelry, not that there aren't options there, but you would be better served to head to NYC for better results.

We were planning a trip to Toronto regardless, but now we might consider diverting to NY at least to stop and look at the diamonds. One major concern is paying double taxes i.e. Paying sales tax in NY and import tax at the border. Actually that worry alone might be enough to put me off.

You'll just have to toss the box and let her wear the ring across the border!!

My brother is American but then gf lived in Canada and he wanted to propose. He picked out the ring and a dozen roses and headed across the border only to be stopped and told that even though he purchase the ring in the US it was a gift and being left in Canada so he had to pay the taxes on it. He tried explaining that the ring would be coming back to the states after the wedding but unfortunately they didn't see it that way.

 

[DaveMutant]

Not sure if we'll have time to get the ring made while we're there so we would probably just bring back the diamond. I wonder if US sales tax could be reclaimed at the border?

 

[Enerchi]

Why not select the diamond and the ring, then have them ship it to you? Then you are just paying GST/PST no NY state tax.

Or Christina may have something there....

 

[CharmyPoo]

When you are in Toronto, check out http://www.engagediamonds.com.. The website looks commercial but I found the service to be exceptional and it is actually like a family ran business. They sell AGS 000 diamonds which is rare in Canada - they have a focus on cut. Plus, they have hundreds and hundreds of rings on open display allowing people to try on all the different styles without being bothered. They specialize in custom work. Their prices seem competitive when I was asking but I wasn't planning to buy and they knew I was experienced. Definetly worth checking out if you are in town. They are uptown so you will need to drive there.

Others who have been recommended
Central Diamonds - Warren
416-866-8111

PH Design
149 Church Street at Queen St, East side on the second floor
416.367.2870
Note: I have used Paul a lot of times for putting my gemstones in settings etc. They usually only deal with wholesale but takes consumer business as well. They do pretty good work.

Leif Benner
Distillery District - http://www.leifbenner.com
Note: My co-worker just had an e-ring made by him. I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out. They make you CAD drawings first until you perfect the design. He seems really flexible and cares about make you happy.

Ast Jewellery
http://www.astjewellery.com
NOTE: I saw on a forum that this jeweler was recommended and my friend checked him out and ended up using them. The ring turned out nice but I think Leif did better work. AST has good prices.

Myersons Limited
http://www.myersonslimited.com

Rose Jewellery
21 Dundas Sq #1201, 416-366-1157
Victor has been recommended by several vendors. They are located at Dundas Square across from Eaton's center. I think it is a different one than the ones with the website.

 

[webdiva]

Why not select the diamond and the ring, then have them ship it to you? Then you are just paying GST/PST no NY state tax.

Or Christina may have something there....

That's a great idea, since they'll need time to make the ring anyhow! Enerchi lives in Canada, so she's a good resource on ordering from the US! How much is duty, Enerchi?

 

[webdiva]

Since you wanted to see the Princess of Hearts - only the following jewelers in Ontario are retailers:
http://www.princessofhearts.com/main.html (choose Ontario) from the state dropdown.

None are in the city, the closest one is in Markham - about 45 min/1 hr north of the city.

 

[Enerchi]

Why not select the diamond and the ring, then have them ship it to you? Then you are just paying GST/PST no NY state tax.

Or Christina may have something there....

That's a great idea, since they'll need time to make the ring anyhow! Enerchi lives in Canada, so she's a good resource on ordering from the US! How much is duty, Enerchi?

I'm in Ontario and you have to pay the HST (GST + PST) of 13%. Duty was removed and now it's the government + any provincial taxes. I don't know what province DaveMutant is in, but just google CRA and you can find links.

I hope I haven't screwed up the duty advice!

Shipping is usually either included or minimal to get International shipping.

 

[Christina...]

Not sure if we'll have time to get the ring made while we're there so we would probably just bring back the diamond. I wonder if US sales tax could be reclaimed at the border?

They could put the diamond in a temporary holder, it sort of looks like a solitaire with ugly prongs, and it's not made to be worn around but it would certainly get you across the border. Not that I'm recommending it......

 

[Enerchi]

Not sure if we'll have time to get the ring made while we're there so we would probably just bring back the diamond. I wonder if US sales tax could be reclaimed at the border?

They could put the diamond in a temporary holder, it sort of looks like a solitaire with ugly prongs, and it's not made to be worn around but it would certainly get you across the border. Not that I'm recommending it......

Christina, you evil woman! I like how you think....

 

[DaveMutant]

I'm in Newfoundland so I believe the tax would be 12.5%. I read elsewhere that there was no duty on diamonds because of a trade agreement with the US. Hrmm lots to think about. So far my conclusion is that I'd rather see what I'm buying than ordering over the net. But once I've seen it I would be happy to get it delivered.

I couldn't not declare it if I brought it across the border. It's just not in my nature.

 

[webdiva]

I'm in Newfoundland so I believe the tax would be 12.5%. I read elsewhere that there was no duty on diamonds because of a trade agreement with the US. Hrmm lots to think about. So far my conclusion is that I'd rather see what I'm buying than ordering over the net. But once I've seen it I would be happy to get it delivered.

I couldn't not declare it if I brought it across the border. It's just not in my nature.

Ok! It's settled, you're going to NY - going to pick out a diamond and ring and have a great time! They'll ship you the ring. See how easy that was?

 

[purplesilk]

I think you can get a beautiful ring without wasting a fortune...I'd check Diamond Bistro...

http://diamondbistro.com/category/216/Natural-Diamond-Center/listings/28248/Antique-diamond-ring.html
http://diamondbistro.com/category/216/Natural-Diamond-Center/listings/27899/GIA-ExEx-101-square-cushion-HVS2-14K-solitaire.html
http://diamondbistro.com/category/216/Natural-Diamond-Center/listings/28221/5-stone-15ct-asscher-diamond-band-ring-18k,-625.html

 

[Christina...]

Not sure if we'll have time to get the ring made while we're there so we would probably just bring back the diamond. I wonder if US sales tax could be reclaimed at the border?

They could put the diamond in a temporary holder, it sort of looks like a solitaire with ugly prongs, and it's not made to be worn around but it would certainly get you across the border. Not that I'm recommending it......

Christina, you evil woman! I like how you think....

I've seen how many PSers you've led down that path! I'm just letting you drag me with you!

 

[DaveMutant]

Hey guys,

Here's a quick update...

We've been looking at diamonds in person. We went back to see a diamond that we first saw before I found PriceScope. Here are the stats:

Princess Cut (Excellent)
1 Carat
SI1
H/I Color

Now, after reading the forums, I'm a little put off at the price of this diamond, which is $8500 including 12.5% tax. We really liked it when we first saw it, but after going back we noticed that it was quite yellow in color. We're also pretty sure that the price is over inflated.

What do you guys think?

Cheers!

 

[slg47]

does it have a lab report? who is calling it 'excellent'? also, H/I color is not a grade...

the price seems really high-for reference here is a 1.2 carat I/VS1 for $6500
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2696799.htm

 

[DaveMutant]

I didn't ask to be honest but I thought it was a bit strange that she described it as a H/I. Surely it'd say one or the other on the paperwork?

 

[slg47]

I didn't ask to be honest but I thought it was a bit strange that she described it as a H/I. Surely it'd say one or the other on the paperwork?

it might not have a lab report. or a less reputable lab may grade as H/I