long long time

[f0rbidden]

welll, i''ve not been around in a LONG time.
and as it turns out the great ring in my pic is not mine.

we cancelled the layaway because we bought a house and i thought it was more logical to have the cash on hand in case we needed it for the house or house related stuff.

the people at angeldiamond were really great about it, didn''t give me any trouble, and sent a check out right away for the refund.

the down side.
i don''t have my ring.
or my diamond.

DH was pretty upset with me for having cancelled it, said he gave me the $$ for a ring, not to have me cancel the order.

it''s been a few months and i was thinking of starting the search again. but honestly, i don''t know if i have it in me to search again. i know it''s stupid, but it''s such an emotional ride finding the right stone, the right setting, feeling confident you got the best price and value, etc.

anyway. i just wanted to stop in and say "HI" and let everyone know why there were no hand pics ever posted.

guess i had better change that pic, huh?

 

[Dee*Jay]

Is the same ring still available? If so maybe you can just call the vendor and start up a new layaway plan? Then you get your ring and you don''t have to start all over.

 

[f0rbidden]

i don''t think so - the ring was a custom design.

and they dont'' have the diamond any longer. some lucky person is wearing it

 

[pinkrose]

You will find the right one again and will love it even more. Maybe you just need some time. Its quite exhausting to find the right one and takes quite a bit of energy. Give it some time and you''ll get excited about looking again. Its always exciting to look for diamonds.

 

[f0rbidden]

yup. i used to think it was exciting to shop for diamonds.
now i think..do i really NEED a diamond?
do i want to take money out of savings to buy one? is it IMPORTANT to have one?

my engagement ring is a sterling silver celtic knot.
i think it cost something like $12
does that mean my DH loves me less than someone who got a 50k diamond? nooooooo!!!!!!
it just means we were dirt poor at the time and that DH, being from overseas, was completely unfamiliar with the whole engagement ring thing - seems they don''t do this everywhere and it was something he had never heard of before.

yeah, i WANT a diamond. but when i start to look around and see how expensive they are (something that didn''t seem to bother me when i looked last time!) i have to wonder if there aren''t better places to put our money. after all, the diamond isn''t an investment. it''s not going to appreciate much over time, so i can''t, say, wear our retirement on my finger - right?

*sigh* how ungirl like of me

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I know how you feel. No, none of us NEEDS a diamond at all. We also don''t NEED to go out to dinner, go on vacation, etc. We do these things because they add to our enjoyment of life! No, I don''t think we should go into long term debt for any of those things either. I think they should be saved for and bought outright in most cases (other than I see nothing wrong with young guys paying for an e-ring over a year or so if they have just finished school and started working). I also debate about it every now and then, but life is short, and really, if you''d enjoy the diamond and the rest of your finances are in order, then why not? I highly recommend going with a vendor who is likely to be around long term and who has a trade-up policy. Maybe you could start out with a smaller stone now since you have uncertainty about spending too much money and then later consider upgrading if the circumstances allowed.

 

[f0rbidden]

that''s a good idea, actually
the diamond i had originally chosen was .97ct
i''m thinking maybe i''ll look for something in the 1/2 carat - 3/4 carat range, which wouldn''t be so expensive and go from there.

hmm....guess i can go shopping again - at least to have a look around! woohoo!

 

[lumpkin]

I appreciate your dilema. It''s really hard to look at your diamond and see the new furniture you could have bought, or upgraded cabinets, or new floors, etc. A new house is REALLY exciting. It''s a whole new beginning and it''s your haven.

Don''t get me wrong, I love diamonds, too. But if your heart is in your home right now, that''s where I''d put the money. You can get a diamond later. You could buy a beautiful diamond wedding band for now. Or as suggested earlier, buy a smaller diamond of great quality with a great trade up policy.

I''ll tell you what, as much as I love diamonds, if we were looking at houses right now and I was fired up about decorating, remodeling, buying new furnishings and maybe kitchen appliances that I had not previously had room to store but always wanted, a diamond would probably not be very high on my list of priorities. But a great .75 carat diamond is cheaper than cabinets, so, hey, maybe if the house you are buying already has what you need, you could go ahead and get your diamond, put it in a simple setting, and go from there. And furnishings do wear out...Oh, dear, I''m not much help, am I???

I''m afraid you may have come to the wrong board to talk you out of the diamond, LOL!

But seriously, don''t buy an expensive (for your budget) diamond right now if you know the money spent will bother you. Then you won''t enjoy your diamond.

BTW, congratulations on the new house. Having your own home is a very wonderful thing!

 

[f0rbidden]

thanks lumpkin!

we''re thrilled that we were able to buy our home, and we LOVE our house. we''re in the process of finishing the attic because it is the entire top floor of the house and is going to be one amazing master suite when completed.

so i''ve been looking for that ''less expensive'' diamond and simple setting and DH has said he''s ok with it as long as i keep the price down. we were originally looking to spend around 6k, but i think i''m going to cut that in half so it doens''t take away from our house repair budget or put a crimp in the savings account, you know?

i''ve emailed WF and GOG to ask about their upgrade policies and to see if they can help me find the ''perfect'' diamond for me.

i really really really want to do this - i had a diamond a long time ago. and during the process of my divorce, it was pawned by my ex and i wasn''t told, so i couldn''t get it back. it was MY ring, which i had paid for with a bonus received from working a LOT of hours and it killed me to have it given away for a couple hundred $$.

 

[Phoenix]

I am sorry to hear about your ex pawning your ring which you had worked hard and paid for, what a scoundrel

.

Anyway, I''d also recommend purchasing a smaller stone now from someone who woud provide you with an upgrade policy and better still who would give you a longer return period (say 30 day). Sounds like both you and your DH were upset that you had to return the previous stone. Why not do this, try it for a while and see if you would like to keep it or return it. Sure, like Diamondseeker said, none of us needs a diamond, but we girls sure love to own one (or two). Life is too short. As long as you put aside money for the house and any future repairs etc., why not?

My hubby and I have also just bought our first joint matrimonial home and are currently having it done up. I have had a lot of guilty pangs about my recent diamond purchase, offered to him to return the stone and get our money back (I put up a thread earlier and the vendor is willing to refund the money to me), but DH is adamant I should keep the ring as I have longed for it for many many years. You sound like you have longed for yours for a long time too.

Just wanted to share with you my thoughts. Hope you will be happy and comfortable with your decision, whatever that may be (as I have with mine). Only you will know what that decision will be.