Rock

GreenMachine · 07-07-2006, 10:25 AM

Hypothetically,

What's a fair price to spend on an engagement ring? I've heard all sorts of crazy **** calculations involving 3 months wages etc...

Opinions?

NH

BA_Turbs · 07-07-2006, 10:49 AM

They were talking about it on Nova FM down here the other week when Hughsy annonced his engagement, I thought they spoke of a 10% of the wage figure. I know that there is no way in hell that I would be spending that much when I (if) I get engaged.

Good luck with it though!

TheSneakiness · 07-07-2006, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

Hypothetically,

What's a fair price to spend on an engagement ring? I've heard all sorts of crazy **** calculations involving 3 months wages etc...

Opinions?

NH

You gonna pop the question Nick?

Black XR6 · 07-07-2006, 11:09 AM

Gotta take into consideration the girls tastes also. And how much you can afford etc etc.

SunDrifter · 07-07-2006, 11:17 AM

I've heard of that 3 months wages thing.... That might have worked 30+ years ago, but probably not today. Hell, i make nearly $14k in three months (after tax). I don't think my girlfriend will want to wear a ring worth that much.

But good question though.

GreenMachine · 07-07-2006, 11:32 AM

10% of my wage is $4.5k!!! I could buy a good T'rana with that kinda dough!

Dazza XLT · 07-07-2006, 11:34 AM

I inherited my Mum's engagement ring after she died.
It is worth about 50% of my wage!!! So that will do for me I reckon!

rapidxr6 · 07-07-2006, 11:35 AM

Go for little rocks mate, three years ago the engagment ring i bought for my now wife has 13 diamonds set in a tri-gold (yellow, white & rose) ring, the diamonds have a total carat count of 12.5, cost was $1175 +10% discount.
We have since had it valued at $2800 for insurance, which shocked the hell out of me, apparently the middle diamond is a high yellow and 2 outers are blue, means jack to me but the jeweller was wide eyed about it all.
You had better get your head down and those legs shuffling from jeweller to jeweller and find one that will haggle. Better yet if you can find a custom jewller and have one made specially for the occassion for a lesser price, brings a more sentimental value to it.

pb02 · 07-07-2006, 11:38 AM

Where abouts are you?? I've just gone through that whole process only a couple of months ago.

I recommend having a look first at designs and styles. Deal only with good quality retailers and don't go for size. Go for as close to flawless diamond as possible. Avoid Grey market diamonds and lastly, make sure the ring is going to be practical for her to wear day in day out.

fiery · 07-07-2006, 12:09 PM

Nick it really depends on her taste to be honest..

I have seen rings worth a sweet fortune that there is no way in this world would go near my finger.. where as I have seen a few around the 1 to 2grand mark and they have been really beautiful.

Best advice is to ask a mate to ask her 'advice', get her to go with him to help him look at rings (that is if you don't want her to know).

Or simply go into the jewellers together and let her pick out 10 different ones and then you chose the one you like.. that way it is still a surprise but at least it is going to be one she will like.

Dazza XLT · 07-07-2006, 12:10 PM

And Plan your engagement around a 50% off sale. That helps too! Have seen that happen many a time!

mik · 07-07-2006, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

10% of my wage is $4.5k!!! I could buy a good T'rana with that kinda dough!

my old mum is a crazy jewelry fanatic she buys diamonesce , dont know if thats how it is spelt, maufactured diamonds looks as good as the real thing much cheaper https://www.itvsn.com.au/include/swe...torpricerange= .......you can spend more on your henry you have too have your priorities right :dr_Evil:

SSBUB · 07-07-2006, 12:29 PM

yep, got mine inbetween xmas and new years for the misses where they have a sale..got a ring as a set with the wedding ring for $1800 half price (was 3600) and is a real nice ring...i wouldnt spend more than 4k but you have to work out what you can afford, her tastes etc.

Neeek · 07-07-2006, 12:30 PM

Perhaps the most important thing in all this is what she wants, as others have said. I would advise going window-shopping together. Try a few on, get an idea of style and size (my wife has small fingers, hence a large rock looked ridiculous - that was nice for me!) and then go and buy on your own without her.

As for costs, it was my wife that told me 3 months of my salary... before tax. Seeing as I was earning good money in the UK at the time, that equated to nearly AU$10k. In a word, no.

My opinion here is that it should be somewhere north of a month's wage, and it should really hurt when you hand over the cash/swipe the card. And when inspecting said rocks, the four Cs are key - cut, clarity, carat and colour. Get Kye to help you out on deciphering the best combos.

turboute · 07-07-2006, 12:41 PM

Hard to tell since I do not know the girl in question - personally I spent 1700 on my wifes rock, at the time I was only earning 33k / year. I would probably spend up to 2.5k if I was doing it now. Anything bigger starts getting stupid IMO. even my wifes (single .33 Carat) Is big enough to get in the way of her work alot as it tends to catch on anything (Manager at a sports store).

BlueRaven · 07-07-2006, 12:43 PM

Neeek is very correct in the last paragraph

I would suggest however that you go window shopping first. Just a scout around the city, as I said before, I'll help you. If you decide to go window shopping with Alyson later, it will impress her that you know where to look and what to look at.

But before anything else...you need to answer this one question. What colour does she wear? As Kye loved white gold, I could only choose white gold. If alyson is yellow gold, then look for those rings.

On that note, if she is yellow gold - it will save you around $1000 usually. If she likes to wear both colours, i've seen some really nice white/yellow gold rings.

The other people are spot on though, size doesn't necessarily matter. The ring I bought Kye cost about $3500 and is a half carat diamond. It suits her and as I said before, cost an extra grand pretty much because it is white gold. The diamond is of good quality and is a fairly good buy, as the quality of the diamon ensured I wouldn't be able to get it for much less than that (its insured for over $4k).

I'll say now, after reading other peoples posts, that no-one can really tell you how much to spend on the ring. Obviously, the cheaper you can get something of good quality, the better. When I bought Kye's ring, I would have been earning around $25,000. Its about your values, not others...

XRchic · 07-07-2006, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapidxr6

total carat count of 12.5, cost was $1175..

12.5 carats? That would be worth $1 million!!!! Wasnt meant to be 1.25 carats, was it?

These days a good diamond is very expensive. And for those who suggest going for cubic zirconias instead of the real deal, dont do it - its tasteless, cheap, tacky and doesnt say much for the person you want to marry, does it?

Dont bother with regular jewellers and pre-made rings. The best bet is to find a really good jeweller, find a nice diamond with an nice cut, buy that and then have it set in a ring of your own design (ie both of you). It takes longer, its more expensive but it would definitely be worth it as it is special and individual. I dont think you can get really decent solitare diamonds for much less than $5K these days but I guess it depends on how cheap you want to go and how much you can afford.

People think that if you spend $10K, that you will have a massive rock on your finger which will be easily broken, etc... not the case. Its not just about size, but also the quality of the diamont itself, the cut of the diamond and its setting.

However, there is nothing worse than seeing a chic showing her engagement ring to everyone, and its a poxy, tiny little thing that is a small diamond buried in shiny metal to make it look bigger and just looks like it was done on the cheap. Id rather have nothing and hence I have no diamond.

My ex was recently asked by his girlfriend to marry her. He reluctantly said yes. He bought her a ring which basically spelled out how reluctant he was, which was about $500 worth at the most. It looks cheap and nasty and she knows it. She probably wishes she never opened her mouth now. This is partly why I am glad he is my ex.

Racecraft · 07-07-2006, 12:50 PM

Nick I think it should be proportional to the value of the car the key attached to it starts :P

ohhh silly me ... here I was thinking of a keyring

Thunder · 07-07-2006, 02:16 PM

If you need some honest and helpful advise PM me.

I am a jeweller. My company is well known in NSW and has been in the business for 30 years. Let me know what your after (once you worked out how much you want to spend on her

: ) and i will confirm its good value for money.

I can also offer advise on what ring design is more practicle/longlasting etc.

Cheers.

Thunder · 07-07-2006, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueRaven

......On that note, if she is yellow gold - it will save you around $1000 usually. If she likes to wear both colours, i've seen some really nice white/yellow gold rings.......

I would be very shocked to here a jeweller charged you $1000 extra for a white gold ring :ticking:

White gold (as a raw product) only cost 10% more than yellow gold. But it is then finished with a rhodium plating process. So if 2 identicle diamond rings, both with identicle diamonds, you should only pay 10% more for the white gold ring only (and not extra on the diamond). Usually $50-$100 dollars only for a standard solitaire design.

Yummy Mummy · 07-07-2006, 02:25 PM

I would say around 2 month salary is enough.

A good idea is to buy the diamond, give it to her when you pop the question and let her go and have the ring designed.

BlueRaven · 07-07-2006, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunder

I would be very shocked to here a jeweller charged you $1000 extra for a white gold ring :ticking:

White gold (as a raw product) only cost 10% more than yellow gold. But it is then finished with a rhodium plating process. So if 2 identicle diamond rings, both with identicle diamonds, you should only pay 10% more for the white gold ring only (and not extra on the diamond). Usually $50-$100 dollars only for a standard solitaire design.

I'm quite aware of the process of white gold. After all, I happen to know someone in the industry as well, but I've also had her rings rhodium plated twice since buying them - which is a great way to have them look just as good as the day you bought them forever.

However, of all people you should be aware of the markup that occurs in stores on most jewellery - the range of white gold is usually far smaller and often more expensive by a fairly large margin. Whether that is a store justified markup due to supply and demand or a better diamond I'm not sure, but it was something I noticed.

**Mechan1k** · 07-07-2006, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunDrifter

I've heard of that 3 months wages thing.... That might have worked 30+ years ago, but probably not today. Hell, i make nearly $14k in three months (after tax). I don't think my girlfriend will want to wear a ring worth that much.

But good question though.

Ooops ... that's what I paid.
Gotta make her happy ... let her choose what she liked.
Made sure I got a fairly decent diamond as well
VS1 (flawless was bloody expensive) 1.2 carat princess cut diamond ... can't quite remember the colour though ... there's no yellow look in it ... it's a very white diamond.

Had the ring and claw designed and made too.

Thunder · 07-07-2006, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueRaven

I'm quite aware of the process of white gold. After all, I happen to know someone in the industry as well, but I've also had her rings rhodium plated twice since buying them - which is a great way to have them look just as good as the day you bought them forever.

However, of all people you should be aware of the markup that occurs in stores on most jewellery - the range of white gold is usually far smaller and often more expensive by a fairly large margin. Whether that is a store justified markup due to supply and demand or a better diamond I'm not sure, but it was something I noticed.

Not in my store buddy!

Here white gold is huge.

Maybe its just the way you worded your comment. But if any jewellers charges more than 10% over gold price (for white gold) then you should steer away. No difference in mark up on gold or white gold.

wulos · 07-07-2006, 04:38 PM

What I did was purely practical, in as much as I picked out a nice simple ring, that I gave to wifey whilst down on bended knee. A few weeks later (I was happy to head out the next day - she wanted to think about what she wanted in a ring first) I let HER choose the ring that she wanted.
Best of both worlds that way. She gets a ring that she truely loves, rather then one that a guy under external pressures has picked out.
AND
it gives you the chance to work out whether to do a runner before the marraige if her sights are set well above your budget!

As in ALL industries there are people that are reputable and above board, and unfortunately others that are not.
Lets keep this discussion on track eh.

**Mechan1k** · 07-07-2006, 04:43 PM

It's best to shop around ... and also do your homework.
Smart move Wulos ... let her choose what she wants .... and it makes sure she is happy.

OK ... I found the details of the ring I got Bec.
1.2 carat Princess Cut Diamond
Diamond Colour = G
VS1 ... would have liked to get a VVS diamond ... but it does jump in price.
Also made sure I received the GIA certificate as well ... and had it checked out by another jeweller and had this confirmed as well.

smally289 · 07-07-2006, 04:51 PM

Does it really matter what it costs? Take her window shopping and get an idea of the style of ring she likes. She is going to be wearing it for a long time, so a ring she is proud to wear is more important than how much it cost. Having said that, you still need to have a $$ figure in your head that you are willing to spend. Personally I wont be spending any more than about $700 on the engagement/wedding ring set. But then again it will be my second marriage and we will have a total of 5 kids in the house, so the cash is needed elsewhere.

normxb · 07-07-2006, 05:20 PM

I forget how much I paid for my Mrs "First Ring" , a friend was an apprentice & selected a nice diamond & custom made it for us (wife preferred a particular design , so wasn't a surprise job).

A few years later we had a "boarder" who ran up a Very expensive phone bill & NO cash , next thing she had the money & the Mrs couldn't find her ring ? ? ?
we couldn't prove anything , but "someone" had to find somewhere to live very quickly.

So what we did then was to go to a Pawn shop & bought an "old" ring from there with a very nice Diamond (got another Jeweller friend to check it out first) and he copied the design from the wedding ring . Jeweller said he couldn't buy a Diamond wholesale for the price we paid for the ring.

Just another Idea.

Gammaboy · 07-07-2006, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

10% of my wage is $4.5k!!! I could buy a good T'rana with that kinda dough!

You could put a blower on the GreenMachine for that!

smciner1 · 07-07-2006, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gammaboy

You could put a blower on the GreenMachine for that!

He has to get it Registered again first.