Hello all,
First of all, I'd like to say that I am very happy I found this forum. I have a really strong gut feeling that some of the experts around here can help me and my unique situation.
I'll try to keep it short - it's time for me to propose. Times are tough so my budget for a ring is small and I would much rather pay for something inexpensive now, and upgrade later, than getting a loan to buy something more expensive now - I am sure that this will just be the first of many big expenses to come, so it would make logical sense not to go all out.
Now, while I am a very smart shopper in general, rings are different. There are so many different elements and factors that one has to consider in order to determine whether a price is good or not.. and I know nothing about any of them. I do, however, know the 2 most important things. I know what she likes, and I know what I can afford. So, right to it:
She loves this - http://www.robbinsbrothers.com/Engagement-Rings/Ring-With-Sidestones/Robbins-Brothers-i15411.ring
The price is $2,995.00 + the center diamond. I see some prices for diamonds on that page, starting from $795.00 for a 1/2 ct Round Diamond and ranging up to $2,495.00 for a 1 ct Round Diamond. Nothing about grades, clarity and all that. In other words, I am looking at $3,800.00 + tax minimum.. and that's IF a 1/2 ct round diamond would suffice to make the ring look like what we saw live at RB.
So, my first question is - would a 1/2 ct round diamond suffice? I am ONLY referring to the "looks" of the ring. Would a 1/2 ct make it look similar to the way it does in the pic?
Having said that, here is where it gets interesting. I can afford to spend $1k BUT I already have a ring. Here is what I got:
Obviously, it would be very hard to try and understand the value of a ring/stone just by a picture like the ones I posted, but any assumptions (on the low end) are very welcome. I mainly need to know 1) whether the stone from this ring would work on the ring from RB and 2) How many ct do you think this stone is. I am asking to see whether I would be able to trade the already small stone, for something even smaller and use the extra money on the frame.
The bottom line is this - I have $1k and the ring above and I am trying to get as close as possible to the ring that she likes OR something that looks like it. It doesn't have to come with a big stone, or with a very high quality one.. I just want it to look like a diamond and not like a yellowish clear plastic.. It doesn't have to be the ring above and it doesn't have to be from RB (I read a few posts on the forums that say that RB is very overpriced). The stone that I currently have is shining beautifully, though I know that it's not one of the expensive ones. I could give her this ring, but one of the things that she definitely "hates" is being able to see the frame, and my current ring is ALL frame.. They say that the actual ring doesn't matter and it's all about the gesture, but we all know that this is not exactly true.
P.S. The reason I don't know the specifics of the stone that I have is that the ring was given to me by someone as a "present" to help out..
Thank you so much in advance for all your help!!
First of all, I'd like to say that I am very happy I found this forum. I have a really strong gut feeling that some of the experts around here can help me and my unique situation.
I'll try to keep it short - it's time for me to propose. Times are tough so my budget for a ring is small and I would much rather pay for something inexpensive now, and upgrade later, than getting a loan to buy something more expensive now - I am sure that this will just be the first of many big expenses to come, so it would make logical sense not to go all out.
Now, while I am a very smart shopper in general, rings are different. There are so many different elements and factors that one has to consider in order to determine whether a price is good or not.. and I know nothing about any of them. I do, however, know the 2 most important things. I know what she likes, and I know what I can afford. So, right to it:
She loves this - http://www.robbinsbrothers.com/Engagement-Rings/Ring-With-Sidestones/Robbins-Brothers-i15411.ring
The price is $2,995.00 + the center diamond. I see some prices for diamonds on that page, starting from $795.00 for a 1/2 ct Round Diamond and ranging up to $2,495.00 for a 1 ct Round Diamond. Nothing about grades, clarity and all that. In other words, I am looking at $3,800.00 + tax minimum.. and that's IF a 1/2 ct round diamond would suffice to make the ring look like what we saw live at RB.
So, my first question is - would a 1/2 ct round diamond suffice? I am ONLY referring to the "looks" of the ring. Would a 1/2 ct make it look similar to the way it does in the pic?
Having said that, here is where it gets interesting. I can afford to spend $1k BUT I already have a ring. Here is what I got:
Obviously, it would be very hard to try and understand the value of a ring/stone just by a picture like the ones I posted, but any assumptions (on the low end) are very welcome. I mainly need to know 1) whether the stone from this ring would work on the ring from RB and 2) How many ct do you think this stone is. I am asking to see whether I would be able to trade the already small stone, for something even smaller and use the extra money on the frame.
The bottom line is this - I have $1k and the ring above and I am trying to get as close as possible to the ring that she likes OR something that looks like it. It doesn't have to come with a big stone, or with a very high quality one.. I just want it to look like a diamond and not like a yellowish clear plastic.. It doesn't have to be the ring above and it doesn't have to be from RB (I read a few posts on the forums that say that RB is very overpriced). The stone that I currently have is shining beautifully, though I know that it's not one of the expensive ones. I could give her this ring, but one of the things that she definitely "hates" is being able to see the frame, and my current ring is ALL frame.. They say that the actual ring doesn't matter and it's all about the gesture, but we all know that this is not exactly true.
P.S. The reason I don't know the specifics of the stone that I have is that the ring was given to me by someone as a "present" to help out..
Thank you so much in advance for all your help!!
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