When to buy the ring...

[wedding_crasher]

Just curious on what others think...How long before proposing should you have the ring? I''m getting to the point where I think I know what I want to buy but I''m not planning on popping the question for 6-8 months. I know that with getting it early you have to worry about hiding it, having insurance on it, etc...thoughts?

 

[Blue824]

Don''t think there is any set time...Some people keep theres for quite a while and other people get the ring and can''t wait another minute to give it to their girl. However, now might be a good time to start looking at your options because some rings you''ll have to wait for to come in and it might take you a while to find the right one.

 

[FireGoddess]

I think any time in the next 2 months you should start seriously looking...sometimes it can take quite a while to get a ring done. Custom pieces always take several weeks, and even if you don''t go custom, it can take weeks to get a setting in, find the right stone, etc. I also have noticed that certain times of the year it is more difficult to find a diamond (Christmas, Valentine''s Day) because there is a high demand and stones are flying out the door. So I think it would be wise to have it in the bag before December for sure. That''s my two cents!

 

[Logan Sapphire]

I think you should start looking now to get some ideas, but also to keep in mind if you are going to give your girlfriend the opportunity to exchange the stone should need arise. In that case, you should take into account the vendors'' return policies.

 

[1stdiamondbuy]

Couple of things from my buying experience ... I bought the diamond and the ring separately. It took about 3 months from the time I bought the diamond until I actually got the finished ring. This was due largely to finding the right person to do a custom setting. I also have noticed that prices have tended to trickle up even since I bought the diamond about 3 months ago, so buying sooner might be a good idea (although the savings may get eaten up in having it insured for a while).

Overall, I''d recommend beginning the search soon. I casually checked here on a regular basis and knew roughly what prices were for several weeks before buying. Then 1 diamond that was a little better than I thought I could afford showed up in my price range. It had the same specs as I had been looking for but was slightly bigger so I jumped on it. The independent appraiser I took it to said there was nothing wrong with the diamond and he said wholesale was about $400 more than what I paid for it ... which happened to be what most diamonds with similar specs were listed at. So by watching regularly, you might find that one that gets priced a little lower.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 8/15/2005 11:54:21 AM
Author:wedding_crasher
Just curious on what others think...How long before proposing should you have the ring? I''m getting to the point where I think I know what I want to buy but I''m not planning on popping the question for 6-8 months. I know that with getting it early you have to worry about hiding it, having insurance on it, etc...thoughts?

Apart from the procedures...there may be some worthwhile comment on the phenomenology of having the ring. If you''re particularly rational about it, and you may be, this may be a lot of fooey. Otherwise, since you''re asking the question, it could be your goose is cooked already. Alternately, making the purchase may serve to have a place in ripening the situation, and your being ready to pop the question.

OK, back to procedures...forgive this interruption into your regularly scheduled programming...

 

[drkewl]

Date: 8/15/2005 11:54:21 AM
Author:wedding_crasher
Just curious on what others think...How long before proposing should you have the ring? I''m getting to the point where I think I know what I want to buy but I''m not planning on popping the question for 6-8 months. I know that with getting it early you have to worry about hiding it, having insurance on it, etc...thoughts?

If you have the money now, i''d buy it. Prices are increasing slowly but surely this year and if you are considering a ring >7K, you could save hundreds of dollars by doing it now versus around the thanksgiving / x''mas season where i''m sure another price hike will occur.

As for insurance, if you are planning on hiding it, i think it would be OK to go without insurance until your gf/finance actually starts wearing. Just use common sense and hide it in a SAFE place that no one would think of looking at. I just bought the diamond for a ring that will be finished end of >>2006<< bc i had the money and didn''t feel like spending a lot more for the same thing. After i put the diamond on hold, the site i bought at raised all diamonds prices by 1.5%. So this is a real thing that prices are going up. For me thats almost 200 bucks saved.

Best of luck

 

[Demelza]

I just saved about $1400 by buying my upgrade last week rather than this week. Apparently the price per carat for the size/color/clarity I was looking at increased by $600/carat!! That was happy news! So, it might not be a bad idea to get it now if you have the money and know what you want AND can find what you want. No reason to pass up on a great diamond at the right price just because your engagement is a few months off.

 

[wedding_crasher]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I''m going to try to save up for a little while but buy as soon as I see what I like and is in my price range (hopefully I will have enough saved up by then). Maybe I can get it taken care of before Thanksgiving comes around to beat any holiday rush. Then the hard part of holding out begins

 

[JROC]

I bought the stone first, that was the easy part!

Now comes looking for the perfect setting, this can take months and has

Still no setting but I am narrowing it down. If you have an idea of the size stone you want then it wouldn''t be a bad idea to buy that now and start your search for the setting.