The Proliferation of Huge Engagement Rings
 

Has anyone noticed that everyone is getting big engagement rings lately? My favorite babysitter just stopped by to show me the 1 carat, platinum set engagement ring her boyfriend surprised her with last weekend. I know 1 carat isn't a rock per se, but both the future bride and future groom are only 19!

I ran into the 21 year old who gave my girls swimming lessons and she proudly showed me the 1.75 emerald cut from Tiffany she got for Christmas. What's up with that???? It's the same size and "brand" as mine, but I was 24 and I had a boyfriend who:
a. spent all his time out to sea so had saved up beaucoup bucks and
b. was a nuclear engineer in the Navy which meant $10,000 "nuke bonuses" every couple of years.

Oh, Pooh! Excuse my rude rant. I have an inner ear infection so I'm grumpy. Big diamonds for everybody! Yea!

Signing off now to take more Dramamine and go back to bed..zzzzzz


But I'd STILL love to know how these boys afford them! lol

Well... perhaps the clarity and/or color aren't that great. I mean I know there are plenty of diamonds that are bigger than my .53 carat, but are less expensive because mine is pretty good quality. Otherwise I really don't understand either how people who are 19 can afford that. Unless they're drug dealers :p

If the grooms are only 19 and 21, the only thing I can say is that the jewelry stores must be saying hello to their good friends Visa, Mastercard, and American Express! Either that or they have been saving for YEARS, or their parents maybe gave them some assistance.

That is a hefty debt to be taking on so young. I wish them much luck.

BTW, I hope you are feeling better soon, Killarney!

1) Maybe they're illegal conflict diamonds and therefore cheap since no one will touch them with a 10 foot pole

2) Maybe that 'diamond' is really a cubic zirconia and the girl doesn't know (Hey...it could happen - just because someone says it's a diamond, doesn't make it so)...the fakes these days are pretty good

3) Maybe they think that the bigger the stone, the longer the marriage will last :rolleyes: (sheeyah, right!)

I've noticed this too...my best friend who's 20 (finace is 21) had a .34 and that's just the "temporary" until he can get her a new one....the one she has picked out is a .81. Am I the only one who's satisfied with my .2??? I love my ring...the diamond isn't big, and it wasn't expensive, but it means just as much! Actually, I think a bigger diamond would ruin the look of my band, it's got really awesome engraving that a bigger diamond would cover.

OK at the risk of sounding like my dad, their parents probably have three mortgages on their house and buy everything on credit and live beyond their means, so the kids think that's the way to live.

A lot of the "rocks" I see (when compared to my mom's beautiful 1/3 carat with side stones) are ugly and tacky - just a big stone in a crappy setting, just to say you have a big stone. If Mr 33 ever pops the question, I hope that he has more imagination than that.

oh, and if you have teeny hands, here's a newsflash: big solitaires look really stupid.

I have beautiful hands with long fingers, so I need a beautiful ring. To me, gaudy and flashy do not equate beauty. It equates "showoffish-ness" and "needs to prove how much he loves me with his wallet". I want a ring that is balanced with my hand AND height. I also cannot have some thin ass band that I will overwhelm...

I agree with whoever said that the rings may not always be high quality. (aside from that emerald-cut Tiffany number... ) I work in a jewelry store, and we sell 1 carat rings for as little as $1299, but they are ugly as sin. Some people don't understand the concept of quality over quantity.

Personally, I don't get it... I have big hands and I will probably want a bigger ring. But when I think about $10,000 (the amount spent on a ring by someone I went to high school with who just got married), I think about what ELSE I could do with that money instead of putting a big hunk of carbon on my finger.

Actually, I don't need a ring...my grandmother left me her 1.75 carat diamond ring. Princess cut, with two round stones on the side. I wear it every now and then....

If my dude comes along, I'll just use my ring. It's not the ring that counts to me, it's the meaning behind it...

Ok, enough of my sappy smush :)

It is true Ive noticed more and more that bigger seems to be the trend. it makes me think that these rings are either bad quality or fake...

i have tried time and time again to explain this to people before, the bigger the ring, doesnt nescessarily mean "bigger" amounts of love...or devotion...or etc...

has anyone seen the premier issue of lifetime magazine?? in the first few pages of all adds there is this diamond ring in all platinum that has a HUGE rock on it, and little rocks all around the band, in the inside, on each side..the band almost looks like a square ring of diamonds all around...ill try to find a pick and post it. it is beautiful no doubt..but who could wear that and feel safe!?!?!?!

id be perfectly happy with a princess cut platnium ring with maybe two small side stones...
:) daydreaming of the day....*sigh*

Mine wasn't huge, and I just got mine about two and a half years ago. The stone is only 1/2 carat, but the way that it's set makes it look much larger. It also means more to me that my DH took the time to design the ring himself rather than just picking out what was available.. that's something that no huge rock can compare to. :)

KillarneyRose, where have you been? Don't you know that the bigger the ring, the more he loves you?

</tongue-in-cheek>

I think this is just more of a reflection of our SUV society (oh, I am so going to get in trouble from those of you with SUV's...eep, you know I love you all anyway). Everyone has to have everything bigger than everyone else's. Never mind the cut, color, etc. of a diamond, it's the size that people notice first, so that's what's most important. I'll stick with my 1.03ct EGL Ideal Cut, tyvm. I'm with MoonStar...I'm willing to bet that a lot of the rings are not well-cut, or a good color.

Hope you feel better, sweetie.

Question: Let's say your guy proposes with an antique ring (used to belong to his great granny, or something) and you really don't like it, what do you do? I mean, I've got to like it to wear it (my hands/rings are my signature), so I can't wear something I don't like. For example, let's say great gran Bertha wore gold. I HATE GOLD, what's a fiance to do?? I feel bad, but I do want something I love...Thoughts?

Yes, add that on to my "the Bigger the Rock, the longer lasting the marriage will be". :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

FWIW: I saw the world's biggest diamond at Birks (think Tiffany, only Canadian). They had it on loan from someplace. It was a private reception and you went into a little room (separate from the reception), up to 4 people, and there was an armed guard in there and everything and then they brought it out. It was about the size of a golf ball and it was ugly, cloudy and yellow! So you see, size is not all...the C's (cut, clarity and colour) are important as well.

perhaps suggest having the diamonds in the ring reset to something you like better? That way, it will still have some of the symbolism and history there, but it will also be something you like.

We were just ring shopping this weekend, and while I hope to wear my grandmother's engagement ring (which is small, I'll admit, but I think it's beautiful, it has meaning, and it looks great on my hand)... I did get drawn in by some of the fancy platinum rings and more flashy diamonds myself. When it comes down to it, though, I think I'd take a milk cap ring, as long as it came from him :)

I agree!! :) Thats sweet... I once told my boyfriend that all he had to do was tie a twistie around my finger and id be happy...LOLOL ;)

but in all seriousness you cant put a size or a price on love...

i think somwhere along the line the symbolism got lost, a ring is supposed to mean alot of things...but how much money you spent or how big it is...is not one of them...


as for the antique ring thing, look into those ring attachment things...cant rememeber the name for the life of me..use the family ring as a base ring and add on to it..that way you can "upgrade" without loosing the memories...or like Ginger said ...look into different settings..

:) I love looking at wedding rings..i cant wait til the day comes.. :)
until then ill keep daydreaming here at work

I would for sure wear it, for a variety of reasons:
1. I love antiques, so even if I don't like the style, I love the history behind it. I would prefer an antique, vintage or vintage style engagement/wedding ring anyway.

2. It means more, IMO, if a guy gives you something from his family (it's like a symbol of their complete acceptance and inclusion of you into their family) than if he rushes out to the nearest mall jeweler and picks up a ring. Since I'm a sentimental type, it would be that much more special to me.

3. If I really hated the ring, I would probably just wear the ring until the wedding, then wear only the wedding band (which I got to pick out, so I know I'll love it) after we were married, which is perfectly acceptable.

4. I could ask him to get me the ring I *really* like under the guise of a birthday or anniversary gift later on.

5. All my girlfriends would be so *envious* after I tell them the beautiful, romantic story behind *MY* engagement ring! :D

well, my 'friend' gave me a ring about a week ago. it's marquis cut diamonds with my birthstone as the centerpiece. this is kind of how i want my engagement ring to look only with emerald cut diamonds. however, this ring is big and it looks great on my finger. his parents gave him the money for it. and it's so shiny. . .it's the first thing that people notice.

i was kind of weary and asked him how many carats the diamonds were. he joked and said 'they're czs. . .you aren't worth THAT much to me.' however, my close guy friend looked at it and said, 'that ain't cubics, baby. it's sparkling.' so, i took it to a jeweler and he estimated it at a little less than 2 carats. i almost fell off my chair. of course, he told me that the ring(if pawned) would get me a nice stack of cash.

:rolleyes: hmmmm. . .i DO need a down payment for a car. . .:D

Okay, I am starting to realize that I am the most naive 36 year old that has ever resided on the planet Earth.

It never occured to me until I read some of your replies to this thread that people borrow money to buy engagement rings. I always thought that the ring is a symbol of where you are right now in your life and how you want to take your fiancee on the journey with you and all that Hallmark Cards stuff! No wonder people are getting such nice rings (not counting the poor quality or fake ones, but those people have much larger problems than debt!!!).

I wish those kids would realize that the last thing they need to do is to start their marriage in debt (whether it be to mom and dad, or the Visamonster)!

PS White_chocolate, your sparkly-sparkly sounds absolutely gorgeous! Your friend has good taste :) Just remember though, that there is a world of difference between a 2 carat stone and 2 carats tcw (total carat weight), so don't hit the dealership quite yet! ;)

I don't get it either... I'm perfectly happy with my 1/2 carat solitaire - brilliant cut, good color and clarity, and from Tiffany & Co :D Mr. aephi alum was a poor starving grad student at the time, and couldn't afford the Rock of Gibraltar - nor would I have wanted it - a big rock would look silly on me.

When I first got the ring, a few people told me "oh, when you have more money, you can get a big rock, and use your current diamond as one of the side stones." :rolleyes: If I did that, it wouldn't really be my engagement ring any more...

My opinion on a guy who feels he has to rain a massive diamond down on their lady, similar to 'that guy' who has the huge monster truck, with big ole mud-runnin tires and a confederate flag sticker on their rear window: small penis. (they are making up for it)

Do y'all remember "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" starring Debbie Reynolds? When Molly and hubby got married, the only "ring" available was a cigar ring. When they struck it rich, he turned the paper ring into a real one--it looked like the cigar ring but with jewels! Sounds like a pretty good upgrade to me!!!

I didn't get an engagement ring--I got pearls and a house. For our 10th anniversary, I got an anniversary ring. Don't know what's in store for our 20th!

A friend of mine lost the diamond out of her engagement ring and never got around to replacing it. She went to SteinMart and bought a very beautiful fake ring for about $15--I swear you'd never guess it wasn't real!!!

My ring is a 1 carat (ex-fiance) solitare. TIffany style setting but I don't know where it was purchased and I dont want to know. I did however have it appraised.

FYI
A really good website to get shiny, polished coal information from is Blue Nile:)

This is a link to the diamond education area: Cut, Clarity, etc... diamonds for dummies!

this thread got me thinking so i found one of those websites where you can design a ring, just to see how much my dream ring would cost. i picked a colorless solitare, .31 carats, brilliant cut, flaws you can barely see under a microscope, platinum 6 prong band, and it cost a little over $1,200. this cost even seems a little excessive to me when it comes to engagement rings, and i know that most people probably spend more than that. why can't you just use the money you could spend on the ring to save for a house or something?

There is a saying about size lol . . .

If the issue is in doubt, the size of the Rock could tip the balance of the scales in your favor :p

This is what I want, because it is a little strange, and would kinda fit me:

Diamond Ring

Actually,. i would never buy a stock ring, but I would want something similar to this to be designed for me.

(sorry for the snobbiness, but jewelry is the family business, so everyone has an original)

Oooh, lucky, lucky gal!!! I bet holidays when you were growing up were always nice and sparkly!!

See, I'm terribly reluctant to use my grandmother's engagement ring for mine. I want to keep it as a family piece, but set the diamond in a necklace to pass on to my daughter for her wedding day, whenever I get that far in life. But because we generally pass things along to daughters, it's hard to use as an engagement ring, unless the boy comes asking for permission and we say, "oh, here's the ring." The setting is rather unattractive on the piece, but the diamond is nice, so we're going to get it worked on now. My uncle offered to pay for it after her funeral so I would have a piece by which to remember my grandmother, as she gave the ring to my mother to pass on to her daughter when she married my father. It's old, from Portugal, and I'm really excited to have it out of all my cousins. (We're talking a huge Portugese family, so yeah, I do feel very special.)

All that being said, I'm 5'2 with a ring size of 5. Anything over .75 carats looks ridiculous on me, so my young man is quite relieved. I'm really only hoping for .4 or .5 carats at most. I love working with animals, especially horses, so huge, delicate rings are out of the question. Could you picture a barn goddess with a 3 carat rock on her hand? I can't! I'd rather have the money for the house, not spent on a rock and a wedding!

There are a lot of people around here with huge rocks. I guess when a small starter home goes for $500,000, spending $50,000 on a ring isn't a big deal. :eek:

I should be so lucky. :p

I've noticed this trend too!
 

At work the other day I had to actually bite my toungue when a girl was showing off her new ring. All I was thinking "It's so refreshing to see a smaller discolored diamond!".

So many people I know have rings that my mom would happily add to her "fabulous fakes" collection. But they're real! :eek: I think that even though most of the women I know who are getting engaged are not young women, their men must still be paying some serious finance charges. :rolleyes:

I'm a big girl with big hands, so something small will look silly on me. But I don't wan't anything bling blinging either!

If there was a SoCalBoy (:() any diamond better come from his family, Tiffany's or the local independent family owned jewelry store my dad and I are fans of. If it comes from a mall chain I'm gonna be way annoyed!

Maybe I'm just weird or maybe because I'm dating a poor military guy, but I don't want anything near 1 carat. My brother bought his wife a 1.25 carat ring with sapphires down the sides and it just looks funny. It's too big. I want something small and unobtrusive. I don't wear much jewlery and I'm not one to flaunt, so something small would be perfect.

I actual found the perfect ring. It's a band that opens up (has hidden hinges) and it can be engraved inside the two halves. It's actually really cool and only costs about $2000 with a solitare princess cut on top.

Yes, Cream, I hear you on this one! I've commented on this before on that other diamond thread, but people here make lots of money. $150-200K is often typical annual income. We regularily plunk down $8-10 on a drink after work. I guess spending $6-10K on an engagement ring doesn't seem like that big a deal to me? Oh how this city is ruining me! ;)

Also, I always tell my boyfriend he better no set foot in Tiffany for my engagement ring! You pay a good $3000 extra for that name alone. I'll gladly take that $3000 in an extra half carat from a jewler on 47th street (the Diamond District of NYC)!

Gotta love the Diamond District!!!! That's where my engagement ring came from - it's so pretty.:D :D :cool:

My ring is a 1.51 carat round solitaire. I color, ideal cut, VVS1. In a 6 prong platinum setting. The specs of the diamond qualify it to be a Tiffany stone. We just don't have a Tiffany's nearby.

I'm estimating that Boy paid between 6 and 8K for it. He only financed the last little bit, and that's because he was tired of waiting. It will be paid off by next month. I figure he only financed the last 1K or so.

But, he lives at home with his parents, has no student loans, a credit card that's paid off monthly, a low car note... he's doing pretty well. And we still have a year to save up for a house.

There's a girl in my class who got a similar ring. Her fiance is still in law school...I'm not sure how they swing that one unless his parents have money (which I'm glad my boy paid for this all on his own) or he's up the wazoo in debt.

That's where my friend's husband bought her ring. It is beautiful. It was much less money than a Tiffany ring and just as lovely. :)

Maybe it's because I have tiny hands (5.5), or because Mr. Munchkin and I will be poor (architects and teachers don't make much), but I can't even imagine paying $10K plus for a ring! When we checked out rings, even the salesman was steering me towards no more than a .75 carat! :) I might not even go with a diamond--both of our birthdays are in May, and if we get married in May, we might do emeralds.

I feel like too much attention is being paid to the minor details of weddings--ring, dress, reception--and not the major details of the marriage. I told Mama Munchkin that I might just elope to escape the madness!

xo_kathy, I am totally with you on the Tiffany thing--as long as it is from the heart, it doesn't matter--I've seen beautiful rings designed by the fiance! But, Mr. Munchkin won't even go into a Tiffany, so I guess I'm lucky.

Maybe you are not living in the right city;) My dad is an architect, and makes a good amount of money, so maybe you should look into moving to Houston:cool:

If you bring cash, you can bargain with some of the jewelers. :D :D :D My fiance bought a loose diamond as the center (round, .78 ct, D color, VS) and I found the perfect setting for it (round and baguette, .67 tcw, yellow gold)

So....the total carat weight for my ring is 1.45 and he got a great deal for it too. Did I mention that my ring is sooo pretty???? :D, :D

GOOD FOR YOU. ;)

My girlfriend's rule in college: "If it isn't more than 1 carat, the answer's no." :rolleyes:

Well, I have LONG since gotten ahold of my senses, married someone else, and had 3 kids.

All with puny diamonds. Not small, puny. However - the diamonds belonged to my grandmother, who passed away giving birth to my mother. The ring sat in a safety deposit box from 1941 until 1991 - 50 years! I had the ring recast into something more modern.

The story behind the ring is much more valuable than any diamond I could plunk down cash to buy just to impress others - not my style.

:cool:

phew! You girls are so informative!

Mr. Jaggerboy was given his grandmother's ring to use as an engagement (and maybe?) wedding ring. I haven't seen it, and though I'm sure it's lovely, there is that tiny little shallow voice that wonders what it looks like and will I like it.

But the fact that his family gave it to him to use (rather than his younger brother or sister) knowing it would probably end up on my hand means a lot to both of us. I can't imagine changing it in any way.