About a year ago I felt inspired and thought I would start the research into what kind of ring I should be looking for.
She made a passing comment a while ago that she wanted a princess cut diamond, of course I had no idea what that is so off to google i went.
I had to study the fundamentals of the 4 c’s and what makes a diamond valuable and worth anything.
It seemed easy enough to remember but of course there is the issue of the budget, which I will write about at another time.
I looked everywhere and since I’m inexperienced with jewellery I thought Tiffany’s would be a good start.
I know a Tiffany ring is what every girl dreams about, those little green boxes with the silver ribbon do not come cheap. I know first hand because I bought her an elsa peretti necklace from Tiffany a couple of Valentines day ago. Fortunately Tiffany does not stock or carry Princess cut diamonds, I don’t know why exactly but they do have something similar in their range.
I’ve always had the idea that the engagement ring is a solitaire diamond in a six claw setting, i didn’t realise that they come in a range of different settings, some real ugly ones, simple 1 stone and three stone settings as well. I personally like the traditional six claw setting and the three stone setting but Donna has small fingers and it looks ridiculous on her hand. This is where the saying Bigger is not always best applies. That fact adds to the equation. So to summarise it here are the things I had to consider.
• Princess cut
• Between 0.7 carat & 1 carat
• Platinum or white gold band
• Setting
• Colour, clarity
• Price
• Certificate
• Payment options
• Warranty
• Loose diamond or preset rings
As you can see there are a number of things to consider when choosing your engagement ring, this is the first time I’ve even considered proposing to any of my girlfriends so I’m no expert, in saying that i don’t think anyone should be unless you’re a jeweller or someone that has done the deed.
I’ve looked the following places, Tiffany.com, Gregorys, Michael Hill, Goldenet.com.au and Diamond Exchange. Right now Diamond exchange is on top of my shortlist, they represent better value for their diamonds, the only thing that is stopping me from purchasing right now is the cash availability. At the time of writing this entry i have about $3, 859 still well below what I need to buy the ring that I want and a Platinum band. I don’t have to get platinum band for the ring but since I can only get her a 0.7+ carat I wanted to compensate for it with the band. Don’t get me wrong I don’t and I’m not restricting myself to a 0.7 carat it’s just a 1 carat diamond would be too much for her tiny finger and that is the truth. I don’t want to buy a massive rock just because what everyone does, I want the perfect ring which is proportion to the size of her finger.
Diamond exchange on the other hand has a huge range of loose GIA certified diamonds and I have found a couple that I’m seriously considering. I actually had an appointment with them today but I had to skip it because I slept in. I’ll have to call Raff next week and aplogise for doing a no-show. I read a review by a forum member on site that I stumbled upon that she chose her diamond and band from DE, paid $4,500 and it was valued independently and insured for $13,000. That’s not bad value. Anyways I will make extra effort to attend this consultation because the way things are going at the moment, the Australian dollar will crash to unprecendented levels and i wont be able to afford shit. Lol
Just passing Wynyard now, i have to pack up and get off. Back to you later.